Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

For Once, Some Good Environmental News Out of Antarctica

For Once, Some Good Environmental News Out of Antarctica

[DIGEST: BBC, CNN]

New research published in the journal Science suggests the thinning in the ozone layer above Antarctica is starting to heal. Researchers carried out detailed measurements of the amount of ozone in the stratosphere every September between 2000 and 2015. They used data collected from weather balloons, satellites and model simulations, to show the thinning of the layer declined by 1.5 million square miles, an area larger than India.


The researchers estimate the thinning in the ozone peaked in the 1990s, and credit the healing to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international agreement limiting the production of ozone-destroying chemicals, phasing out substances including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, once present in refrigerators, hairsprays and air conditioners. Professor Susan Solomon of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who lead the research team, was optimistic. "We can now be confident that the things we've done have put the planet on a path to heal," she said in a statement. "We decided collectively, as a world, 'Let's get rid of these molecules'. We got rid of them, and now we're seeing the planet respond."

The ozone layer, a shield of gas surrounding the planet, blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation emitted from the sun. Depleting the layer endangers human and animal life, increasing the chances of skin cancers, cataract damage, and other diseases. The effects of depletion also extend to plant life, resulting in lower crop yields and the potential disruption of the ocean’s natural food chain. The ozone layer’s natural production and destruction in the stratosphere balances out over time, but the reason the thinning occurred primarily over Antarctica was due to the extremely cold climate and the presence of large amounts of light. These conditions helped produce polar stratospheric clouds, which in turn create the chlorine chemistry that destroys the ozone.

Credit: Source.

More than half the shrinkage, researchers found, is a result of the reduction in atmospheric chlorine. "Even though we phased out the production of CFCs in all countries including India and China around the year 2000, there's still a lot of chlorine left in the atmosphere," said Professor Solomon. "It has a lifetime of about 50-100 years, so it is starting to slowly decay and the ozone will slowly recover.” According to Professor Solomon, these chemicals have a lifespan of roughly 50 - 100 years, so researchers do not expect the hole to completely heal until at least 2050 or 2060.

Others in the scientific community are less optimistic and are not entirely convinced these findings can be attributed to the reduction of chlorine in the stratosphere. "The data clearly show significant year to year variations that are much greater than the inferred trends shown in the paper," said Dr Paul Newman from NASA. “If the paper included this past year, which had a much more significant ozone hole due to lower wave driven forcing, the overall trend would be less."

More from News

Close-up shot of a beautiful young woman looking coyly into the camera. She wears a large black and white beach hat.
Photo by Jan Canty on Unsplash

Women Describe The Times A Man Stood Out To Them For A Positive Reason

Guys can be a lot.

I attest to that as one.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump after assassination attempt
Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images

White House Slammed After Replacing Obama Portrait With Painting Of Trump's Assassination Attempt

The White House is facing heavy criticism after it posted a video on X showing off a new painting of President Donald Trump's assassination attempt last summer—that is now hanging where an official portrait of former President Barack Obama was once displayed.

The portrait of Obama, unveiled in 2022 during former President Joe Biden’s administration, remains on display in the White House but has been relocated. Originally hung near the staircase to the presidential residence on the State Floor, it has been moved to the opposite wall—where a portrait of former President George W. Bush once hung.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lynda Carter
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Lynda Carter Has Iconic Reaction To Black Cosplayer Who Was Told She Shouldn't Dress As Wonder Woman

Actor Lynda Carter, best known for her role in the 1970s live-action television series Wonder Woman, has gone viral after she praised a Black cosplayer's Wonder Woman costume in response to the cosplayer's posts addressing criticism she received about dressing up as the iconic superheroine.

On Sunday, April 6, a cosplayer named Bibi took to X (formerly Twitter) to show off her Wonder Woman cosplay, or "costume play," after being told she shouldn't dress as Diana Prince, AKA Wonder Woman, because she's Black.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
C-SPAN

RFK Jr. Claims Autistic Children Will Never 'Hold A Job' Or 'Go On A Date' In Bonkers Rant

Once again displaying the incompetence inherent in the administration, Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) held his first press conference on Monday.

The purpose was for HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to spout the misinformation, pseudoscience, and conspiracy theories the antivaxxer is known for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aimee Lou Wood; Sarah Sherman
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO/Getty Images; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Aimee Lou Wood Reveals Sweet Apology Gift Sarah Sherman Sent Her After 'Mean' 'SNL' Spoof

Actor Aimee Lou Wood shared via her Instagram stories the apology she received from Saturday Night Live cast member Sarah Sherman.

Wood, a breakout star of HBO's third season of White Lotus, previously shared that SNL offered a mea culpa after the actor spoke out about a sketch featured on the show.

Keep ReadingShow less