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Scientists find ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole
The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985, when scientists observed a severe depletion in the Earth’s protective layer of stratospheric ozone. Industrial chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), then widely used as refrigerants, propellants, foam-blowing agents, and solvents, were at the root of the ozone depletion. After concerted global effort to phase out the use of CFCs, ozone today is recovering, especially in the Antarctic.
First mission to fly through monstrous ‘fire clouds’ is about to take off
“We’re seeing these intense fires and unpredictable behaviours,” says Teresa Campos, an atmospheric chemist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, who works on the project. “It definitely feels like an important topic to be researching.”
This plane is buzzing the Great Salt Lake to sniff out ozone’s secrets
“There's nothing that's emitting ozone,” said National Center for Atmospheric Research scientist Sam Hall. “It's formed secondarily, and it's bad for human health. It's bad for crops. It makes your car rust faster. It has a lot of side effects because it's so potentially reactive, especially in the presence of sunlight.”
Hall is part of a team studying the formation of ozone in the atmosphere above the state through the end of August.
