Earth’s ozone layer shields us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Nations have been working to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals since the 1980s, but recent studies show that there is still work to do.
Suspected infestation of Macrophomina phaseolina, a “novel” soil pathogen, in the non-fumigated buffer zone of a strawberry field.
Julie Guthman
California produces 90 percent of the US strawberry crop, but growers face curbs on toxic chemicals that have helped their industry expand. Can a system centered on mass production become more sustainable?
Sunrise over the Earth. Hydrofluorocarbons were created to protect the ozone layer, but their stable nature makes them an extremely potent greenhouse gas.
NASA
Australia has ratified an agreement to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, a manmade compound once hailed as the saviour of the ozone layer. What went wrong?
Clouds over Australia’s Davis Research Station, containing ice particles that activate ozone-depleting chemicals, triggering the annual ozone hole.
Barry Becker/BOM/AAD
The treaty to limit the destruction of the ozone layer is hailed as the most successful environmental agreement of all time. Three decades on, the ozone layer is slowly but surely returning to health.
You can only truly understand the weather by flying above the clouds.
NASA
Far from being “politicised science”, as a Trump advisor has claimed, NASA’s satellite monitoring has been a crucial help in understanding the planet we live on.
The Montreal Protocol has successfully reduced the use of chemicals that destroy the Earth’s ozone layer.
Atmosphere image from www.shutterstock.com
Imagine an environmental crisis caused by a colourless, odourless gas, in minute concentrations, building up in the atmosphere. There is no expert consensus, but in the face of considerable uncertainty…
Antarctica has actually been protected from sea ice melt by the ozone hole.
Vassil Tzvetanov
Many people think of sunburn and skin cancer when they hear about the ozone hole. But more ultraviolet (UV) radiation isn’t the only problem. The ozone hole has also led to dramatic changes in Southern…
In 2012 and 2013 parts of New Zealand suffered the worst drought in 70 years.
Dave Young/Flickr
Jim Salinger, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Over 2012 and 2013, parts of New Zealand experienced their worst drought in nearly 70 years. Drought is the costliest climate extreme in New Zealand; the 2012-2013 event depressed the country’s GDP by…
It sometimes feels as if environmental news is never good news, but that certainly isn’t true when it comes to the ozone layer. The UN has announced that the ozone layer is showing “signs of recovery…
Strong winds linked to climate change and the hole in the ozone layer are driving a steady increase in Antarctic sea ice, even as Arctic levels continue to shrink dramatically, a new report shows. While…
Antarctica’s ozone hole has just got four new sources.
PD-USGOV-NASA
Scientists at the University of East Anglia have discovered new man-made gases that are contributing to the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. Three new Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which act to destroy…
This, the biggest hole in September 2006, was matched in 2011 despite the downward trend.
NASA
It’s been nearly 30 years since the discovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica, and the realisation that chlorine, in the form of chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, was the chemical culprit behind the depletion…
SAVING THE OZONE: The final part our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at Australians…
Around 90% of ozone is located in the lower stratosphere (beginning at a height of between 10-16 km above the ground).
Flickr/NASA Earth Observatory
SAVING THE OZONE: Part eight in our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at how we measure…
Reduced ozone means increased UV radiation, and that leads to skin cancer.
Tracey Lawson
SAVING THE OZONE: Part seven in our series exploring on the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – explains how the…
Understanding Venus’ atmosphere helps us understand Earth’s past, present, and a potential future.
Keith Mosley
SAVING THE OZONE: Part six in our series exploring the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – dubbed “the world’s most successful environmental agreement” – looks at the atmosphere…
Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong
Research Scientist at Space Science Institute and Fellow, Research School of Physics and Engineering and The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University