The Ozone Hole
Who Discovered The Ozone Hole?
The Ozone Hole was discovered by Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin in the May of 1985. The three scientist discovered a large hole in the ozone layer while monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica.
What Is The Ozone Hole?
The Ozone Hole is a hole in the ozone layer. The Ozone Hole is located in the part of the ozone layer above Antarctica.This hole is being caused by the depletion of ozone. One of the major things that is destroying the ozone layer is CFC. CFC is a compound created from carbon, fluorine, and chlorine. The Montreal Protocol which is being used by many countries was designed to replace CFCs with other products including HFCs and CO2 that don't effect the ozone layer.
What Is Ozone?
Ozone is a pale blue gas that protects all life on Earth. The formula of ozone consist of three oxygen atoms. Without the ozone layer all life on Earth would suffer from ultraviolet rays. We are fortunate to have the ozone layer to protect us but we are not protecting it as efficiently as it protects us. A large hole is forming in the ozone layer and humans are playing a major role in the creation of this hole.
Can The Ozone Hole Be Repaired?
The Ozone Hole can be repaired. In order for the ozone layer to recover we could need lower the amount of ozone depleting compounds we are releasing into the air, replace them with other unharmful compounds or replace them with products that create less ozone harming pollutants. According to a study in 2012 the Ozone hole decreased in size and had reverted to its smallest size since 2002.