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Our Ozone Layer Is Making a Comeback!
The ozone layer is critical to life on Earth. It is the lower region of our stratosphere that absorbs 97 to 99% of the Sun’s UV radiation, allowing us to safely withstand being in direct sunlight. It’s found approximately 12 to 19 miles above Earth, although this fluctuates seasonally and geographically. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is present in small but crucial amounts, and protects humans from skin cancer, cataracts, genetic damage and immune deficiencies.
Ozone-oxygen cycle in the ozone layer. NASA (Wikimedia Commons)
The ozone layer was first discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. It was later explored in great detail by British meteorologist G. M. B. Dodson who developed a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations between 1928 and 1958, which are still in use today.
The shifting size of the ozone hole is illustrated in dark blue. NASA (nasa.gov)
In 1985, while scientists were monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica, they discovered a hole in the ozone layer. By 1987, the hole had grown to the size of the continental U.S.! Scientists then found evidence of the same ozone destruction in the Arctic’s stratosphere. The worldwide ozone deterioration had begun and it was progressing at an alarming rate, with evidence pointing to man-made gases, such as CFCs used in fridges, as the cause. This led to a major environmental and health scare in the 1980′s, spurring a 1987 ban on CFC gases in fridges and aerosols. The United Nations (U.N.) said this action has saved 2 million people a year from skin cancer.
This month, scientists from the U.N. Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed the ozone layer is showing the first signs of recovery! They found that the gaping hole over Antarctica had stopped growing and other damage to the ozone layer is on track to make a full recovery by 2050.
WMO senior scientific officer Geir Braathen says “Now for the first time in this report we say that we see indications of a small increase in total ozone. That means recovery of the ozone layer in terms of total ozone has just started. We think in about 2025 or thereabouts we’ll be able to say with certainty that the ozone hole is getting smaller.”
This demonstrates that when the world comes together, focused on a problem we all share, we can stop a growing ecological crisis!
Be Prepared. Know Before™.
The WeatherBug – Earth Networks Team
Stay up-to-date on the latest weather news and topics by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter!
Comments
5 comments
The ozone layer is critical to life on Earth. It is the lower region of our stratosphere that absorbs 97 to 99% of the Sun’s UV radiation, allowing us to safely withstand being in direct sunlight. It’s found approximately 12 to 19 miles above Earth, although this fluctuates seasonally and geographically. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is present in small but crucial amounts, and protects humans from skin cancer, cataracts, genetic damage and immune deficiencies.
Ozone-oxygen cycle in the ozone layer. NASA (Wikimedia Commons)
The ozone layer was first discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. It was later explored in great detail by British meteorologist G. M. B. Dodson who developed a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations between 1928 and 1958, which are still in use today.
The shifting size of the ozone hole is illustrated in dark blue. NASA (nasa.gov)
In 1985, while scientists were monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica, they discovered a hole in the ozone layer. By 1987, the hole had grown to the size of the continental U.S.! Scientists then found evidence of the same ozone destruction in the Arctic’s stratosphere. The worldwide ozone deterioration had begun and it was progressing at an alarming rate, with evidence pointing to man-made gases, such as CFCs used in fridges, as the cause. This led to a major environmental and health scare in the 1980′s, spurring a 1987 ban on CFC gases in fridges and aerosols. The United Nations (U.N.) said this action has saved 2 million people a year from skin cancer.
This month, scientists from the U.N. Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed the ozone layer is showing the first signs of recovery! They found that the gaping hole over Antarctica had stopped growing and other damage to the ozone layer is on track to make a full recovery by 2050.
WMO senior scientific officer Geir Braathen says “Now for the first time in this report we say that we see indications of a small increase in total ozone. That means recovery of the ozone layer in terms of total ozone has just started. We think in about 2025 or thereabouts we’ll be able to say with certainty that the ozone hole is getting smaller.”
This demonstrates that when the world comes together, focused on a problem we all share, we can stop a growing ecological crisis!
Be Prepared. Know Before™.
The WeatherBug – Earth Networks Team
Stay up-to-date on the latest weather news and topics by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter!
Comments
5 comments
The ozone layer is critical to life on Earth. It is the lower region of our stratosphere that absorbs 97 to 99% of the Sun’s UV radiation, allowing us to safely withstand being in direct sunlight. It’s found approximately 12 to 19 miles above Earth, although this fluctuates seasonally and geographically. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is present in small but crucial amounts, and protects humans from skin cancer, cataracts, genetic damage and immune deficiencies.
Ozone-oxygen cycle in the ozone layer. NASA (Wikimedia Commons)
The ozone layer was first discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. It was later explored in great detail by British meteorologist G. M. B. Dodson who developed a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations between 1928 and 1958, which are still in use today.
The shifting size of the ozone hole is illustrated in dark blue. NASA (nasa.gov)
In 1985, while scientists were monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica, they discovered a hole in the ozone layer. By 1987, the hole had grown to the size of the continental U.S.! Scientists then found evidence of the same ozone destruction in the Arctic’s stratosphere. The worldwide ozone deterioration had begun and it was progressing at an alarming rate, with evidence pointing to man-made gases, such as CFCs used in fridges, as the cause. This led to a major environmental and health scare in the 1980′s, spurring a 1987 ban on CFC gases in fridges and aerosols. The United Nations (U.N.) said this action has saved 2 million people a year from skin cancer.
This month, scientists from the U.N. Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed the ozone layer is showing the first signs of recovery! They found that the gaping hole over Antarctica had stopped growing and other damage to the ozone layer is on track to make a full recovery by 2050.
WMO senior scientific officer Geir Braathen says “Now for the first time in this report we say that we see indications of a small increase in total ozone. That means recovery of the ozone layer in terms of total ozone has just started. We think in about 2025 or thereabouts we’ll be able to say with certainty that the ozone hole is getting smaller.”
This demonstrates that when the world comes together, focused on a problem we all share, we can stop a growing ecological crisis!
