Are We Doing Enough to Heal the Ozone Layer Hole?

All around the world, scientists have been scrambling since the 1970s to both explain and predict methods of curing the ozone layer hole which was first recognized over Antarctica. Ozone loss was first discussed in the 1970s by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). Although the science of ozone has been around for a long time, scientists were initially stumped and bewildered at the severe amount of ozone depletion noted during this initial Antarctic survey.

In an effort to further understand ozone depletion, NASA scientists have been working feverishly to determine the exact nature of the ozone hole. As a portion of the Earth Science Mission directorates, many researchers are looking to cooperative efforts with major universities in order to create a global awareness of this environmental issue.

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One such cooperative extension of NASA’s knowledge base has come from the Atmosphere Dynamics Group. The Atmosphere Dynamics Group is a portion of the University of Cambridge Department of Applied Math and Theoretical Physics. Cooperation between the Department of Chemistry has lead to the formation of the Center for Atmospheric Science.

Multiple European campaigns to save the ozone layer have been completed as a result of the work at Cambridge including the EASOE (European Arctic Stratospheric Ozone Experiment) and SESAME (Second European Stratospheric Arctic and Mid-latituide Experiment). The result has been advanced knowledge on the causes of the ozone layer hole.

History

An interactive tour of the ozone layer hole is available from the Cambridge University Center for Atmospheric Science. This multimedia tour utilizes pictures, graphs, mpeg video files and data on the destruction of the ozone layer covering 4 major topics.

• The Discovery of the Ozone Hole
• Recent Ozone Loss Over Antarctica
• The Science of the Ozone Hole
• The Latest Ozone Hole Research at Cambridge University

Understanding the ozone, then, has created both understanding of the issue,and the issue itself. Read more on the challenges of ozone depletion in the next page. Included are free ozone video tutorials to help you understand the ozone debate.