Earth’s ozone layer is on the mend

A rendering of a massive hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. The hole is depicted purple, while a green layer covers the rest of the planet.
In a report released October 3rd, 2000, the Goddard Space Flight Center said satellites have observed an 11.5 million square-mile hole, a severe thinning of Earth’s protective ozone layer, over Antarctica.  | Image: Newsmakers via Getty Images

For decades, the Earth’s ozone layer, which protects life on our planet from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, has taken a beating from common chemicals used in everything from refrigerants to hairspray. But now the holes in the ozone layer are diminishing, thanks to a decades-long global effort to repair it, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed yesterday.

Scientists first discovered a gaping hole over the Antarctic in 1985. A couple years later, countries around the world adopted the Montreal Protocol, a global effort to phase out “ozone-depleting substances.” And now, thanks to that work, scientists expect the ozone layer to start looking more like its normal, healthy self in the coming decades. That lowers the...

Continue reading…



from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/qy3AGcV

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

“Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise"

0 Response to "Earth’s ozone layer is on the mend"

Post a Comment

ad

Search Your Job