ozone hole
Antarctic atmospheric thinning
The ozone hole is a region of severely depleted ozone in Earth's stratosphere, particularly over Antarctica.
Ozone absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation; the hole allows more through.
The term emerged in the 1980s when scientists discovered that chlorofluorocarbons were destroying ozone: The ozone hole helped galvanize the environmental movement.
International agreements have since reduced the damage.
- ultravioletWavelengths shorter than violet
- polar vortexPersistent circulating cold air mass
- halonsBromine-based fire suppressants
- stratosphereSecond atmospheric layer up
- CFCsOzone-depleting compounds, abbreviated
freon · bromine · chlorofluorocarbons · sunburn · skin cancer · UV radiation · sun damage · ozonosphere · layer · polar · South Pole · ice sheet · thinning · melanoma · satellite · sunscreen · environmental · global warming
- AntarcticaSouth Pole, Amundsen, Scott, penguins, ice sheet
- Eco-crisesclimate change, global warming, oil spill, deforestation, biodiversity loss
- eco-disastersclimate collapse, oil spill, ocean warming, coral bleaching, biodiversity loss
- Ozoneozonosphere, CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, stratosphere, UV radiation
- ozone monitoringstratosphere, UV radiation, spectrophotometers, satellite data, ground stations
- upper atmospheremesosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, exosphere, stratosphere