Ozone Hole

Elon Musk's Starlink satellites may cause Ozone layer harm, warns study

The study warned that SpaceX's Starlink satellites emit significant amounts of aluminium oxide gas, which leads to reactions with chlorine, ultimately destroying ozone molecules

Ozone hole largest on record over past 3 years, new research finds

Contrary to public perception, the Antarctic ozone hole has been amongst the largest on record over the past three years, new research has found. The ozone hole above Antarctica has been remarkably massive and long-lived over the past four years and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are not the only things to blame, said researchers in their study published in the journal Nature Communications. CFCs are greenhouse gases containing carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine and have been studied to contribute to ozone depletion. The ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere blocks the harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun to protect people from skin diseases. According to the study's lead author Hannah Kessenich, PhD candidate at the University of Otago, New Zealand, the team found much less ozone in the centre of the hole compared to 19 years ago. "This means that the hole is not only larger in area, but also deeper throughout most of spring," said Kessenich. The team analysed the mon

Montreal Protocol of 1987 found to delay first ice-free Arctic summer

The Montreal Protocol of 1987, a global deal to protect the ozone layer, has been found to delay the first ice-free Arctic summer by up to 15 years, according to a new research. The deal, which was the first treaty to be ratified by every United Nations country, regulated nearly 100 man-made chemicals called ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) to preserve the ozone layer, which protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation. ODSs are compounds developed in the last century for industrial use as refrigerants and propellants. The researchers from University of California Santa Cruz (US), Columbia University (US) and the University of Exeter (UK) estimated that each 1,000 tonnes of ODS emissions prevented saves about seven square kilometres of Arctic sea ice. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), showed that a reduction in the ODSs, which are also potent greenhouse gases, has slowed down global ..

Ozone layer slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066: United Nations report

Earth's protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth's atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and crop damage. In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better," said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. The progress is slow, according to the report presented Monday at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver. The global average amount of ozone 18 miles (30 kilometers) high in the atmosphere won't be back to 1980 pre-thinning levels until about 2040, the report said. And it won't be back to normal in the Arctic until 2045. Antarctica, where it's so thin ..

Scientists discover large, year-round ozone hole over the tropics

Scientists revealed a large, all-season ozone hole in the lower stratosphere over the tropics comparable in depth to that of the Antarctic hole, but roughly seven times greater in area

Ozone layer depletion: Cause, effects, and solutions

On World Ozone Day, have a look at the various causes, effects and solutions of ozone layer depletion

World Ozone Day 2020: Know about Vienna Convention and importance of ozone

This year the slogan for World Ozone Day is 'Ozone For Life'

New Ozone hole found over Antarctica smallest in 30 years: NASA

NOAA and NASA collaborate to monitor the growth and recovery of the ozone hole every year