Ozone layer depletion

The ozone layer is one layer of the stratosphere, the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The stratosphere is the mass of protective gases clinging to our planet. The stratosphere gets its name because it is stratified, or layered: as elevation increases, the stratosphere gets warmer. The stratosphere increases in warmth with elevation because ozone gases in the upper layers absorb intense ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone is only a trace gas in the atmosphere—only about three molecules for every 10 million molecules of air. But it does a very important job. Like a sponge, the ozone layer absorbs bits of radiation hitting Earth from the sun. Even though we need some of the sun's radiation to live, too much of it can damage living things. The ozone layer acts as a shield for life on Earth. Ozone is good at trapping a type of radiation called ultraviolet radiation, or UV light, which can penetrate organisms’ protective layers, like skin. This then may damage DNA molecules in plants and animals. There are two major types of UV light: UVB and UVA. UVB is the cause of skin conditions like sunburns, and cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. People used to think that UVA light, the radiation used in tanning beds, is harmless because it doesn’t cause burns. However, scientists now know that UVA light is even more harmful than UVB, penetrating more deeply and causing a deadly skin cancer, melanoma, and premature aging. The ozone layer, Earth’s sunsc...

But the group also warned of the unintended impacts on the ozone layer of new technologies such as geoengineering. In a The Montreal Protocol was The overall phase-down has led to the notable recovery of the protective ozone layer in the upper stratosphere and decreased human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. “The impact the Montreal Protocol has had on climate change mitigation cannot be overstressed,” said Meg Seki, Executive Secretary of the UN Environment Programme’s ( “Over the last 35 years, the Protocol has become a true champion for the environment. The assessments and reviews undertaken by the Scientific Assessment Panel remain a vital component of the work of the Protocol that helps inform policy and decision-makers.” In a tweet on Tuesday, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the restoration of the ozone layer was "an encouraging example of what the world can achieve when we work together". Ozone recovery January 9, 2023 The discovery of a hole in the Ozone Layer was first announced by three scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, in May 1985. According to the Panel’s report, if current policies remain in place, the layer is expected to recover to 1980 values by 2040. Over the Antarctic, this recovery is expected by around 2066, and by 2045 over the Arctic. Variations in the size of the Antarctic ozone hole, particularly between 2019 and 2021, were driven largely by meteorological conditions. Nevertheless, the Antarctic...

• Afrikaans • العربية • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • भोजपुरी • Български • Bosanski • Català • Чӑвашла • Čeština • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Gaeilge • ગુજરાતી • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Bahasa Indonesia • Italiano • עברית • ಕನ್ನಡ • ქართული • Қазақша • Kreyòl ayisyen • Кыргызча • Lombard • Magyar • Македонски • Bahasa Melayu • Minangkabau • Монгол • Nederlands • 日本語 • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • پښتو • Polski • Português • Русский • සිංහල • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • తెలుగు • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • Tiếng Việt • 吴语 • 中文 • v • t • e Ozone depletion consists of two related events observed since the late 1970s: a steady lowering of about four percent in the total amount of The main causes of ozone depletion and the ozone hole are manufactured chemicals, especially manufactured ozone-depleting substances ( ODS). 3) into oxygen (O 2). Ozone depletion and the ozone hole have generated worldwide concern over increased cancer risks and other negative effects. The ozone layer prevents harmful wavelengths of [ when?] scientists plan to develop new refrigerants to replace older ones. The ban came into effect in 1989. Ozone levels stabilized by the mid-1990s and began to recover in the 2000s, as the shifting of the The Montreal Protocol is considered the most successful international environmental agreement to date. Ozone cycl...

The phaseout of controlled uses of ozone-depleting substances has not only helped replenish the protective layer for future generations but is also helping guard human health by filtering harmful rays from reaching Earth, said The recognition of this success comes on Since 2000, parts of the ozone layer have recovered at a rate of 1-3 per cent every ten years, the latest UNEnvironment UN Secretary-General, António Guterres Regenerating the ozone has helped curb the effects of climate change - with approximately 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2010 averted by a strong protective shield. As of late last year, the World Meteorological Organization Damaging effects of ozone-depleting substances allow increased ultraviolet (or UV) rays to reach the earth, increasing incidents of skin cancers, eye cataracts, compromised immune systems and harm to agricultural lands and forests. The Montreal Protocol is, to date, the only UN treaty to be adopted by all Member States, with all parties sharing responsibilities relating to phasing out ozone-depleting substances, controlled trade of such substances, annual data reporting and other matters. “We can celebrate success,” UNEP said, “but we must all push to keep hold of these gains, in particular by remaining vigilant and tackling any illegal sources of ozone-depleting substances as they arise.” Looking forward, the agency has called for wholehearted support of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, whi...

It was the void that changed public perception of the environment forever—a growing spot so scary, it mobilized a generation of scientists and brought the world together to battle a threat to our atmosphere. But 30 years after its discovery, the ozone hole just doesn’t have the horror-story connotations it once did. How did the conversation change—and how bad is the ozone hole today? To understand, you have to go back about 250 years. Scientists have been trying to study the invisible since the beginning of science, but the first real understanding of Earth's atmosphere came during the 1700s. In 1776, In the 1830s, Christian Friedrich Schönbein ozein, which means “to smell.” Eventually, ozone was discovered to be a gas made from three oxygen atoms. Scientists began to speculate that it was a critical component of the atmosphere and even that it was able to absorb the sun’s rays. A pair of French scientists named Because it blocks some radiation from reaching Earth's surface, ozone provides critical protection from the sun's scorching rays. If there were no ozone in the atmosphere, Even as researchers began to study ozone levels over time, they started to think about whether it was capable of being depleted. By the 1970s, they were asking how emissions from things like supersonic aircraft and the space shuttle, which emitted exhaust But it turned out that contrails weren’t the ozone layer’s worst enemy—the real danger was contained in things like bottles of hairspray and ca...