The Ozone Layer
What is the ozone layer?
Think of the ozone layer as sun screen for the earth. It is a layer of the earths atmosphere which contains relatively high levels of ozone (O3 if you want to show off) that protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation.
In the 1980s scientists noticed that the ozone layer was being destroyed by man made chemicals such as CFCs found in aerosol cans. An international treaty was enacted to ban these ozone destroying gases called the Montreal Protocol.
You have probably heard about the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Even though this seems to be remaining open the ozone layer over the rest of the planet seems to be on the mend. Much of the ozone recovery can be attributed to the changes in CFCs brought about by the Montreal Protocol but some of it is unexplained.
Eco Good News (For A Change!).
NASA scientists think that atmospheric wind patterns could be transferring ozone around the planet, helping with the recovery. If this trend continues the ozone layer could return to 1980 levels between 2030 and 2070. So not all doom and gloom eh?
Check out these other eco buzzwords.
Follow the picture links above to get the basic facts on each particular subject.
