Are We Doing Enough to Heal the Ozone Layer Hole?

Challenges

For now, one of the greatest challenges, besides battling the elements in Antarctica, is to pin down the exact nature of the ozone hole. Scientists expect ozone to form and reform in the atmosphere. In fact, it is a necessary part of the natural cycle of ozone formation. Ozone formation is easily understood through a series of free NASA videos on ozone destruction by CFCs. Essentially the destruction and formation of O₃ is accelerated by CFCs and other atmospheric chemicals, but the hole is still surprising to many scientists.

Scientists warn, however, that not all ozone is good for our planet. In fact, there is a large difference between good and bad ozone. With many missions planned for the future, it will only be a matter of time before the public is educated about ozone destruction. Continuing on the quest for understanding, scientists are (as always) hard at work collecting data so that we may save ourselves from the deadly Ultraviolet radiation of the very Sun that gives us life.

In Schools

Teachers can now teach about the ozone layer hole with a series of lesson plans designed to focus on data. Students gather real-time data on ozone depletion and process the data using the science process skills.

• Use Real-time Ozone Data to Teach Science Porcess Skills
• Use Data Processing to Calculate Statistical Error in Ozone Reporting
• Learn How Satellites Orbit and Gather Ozone Information

Where it Stands

Now, you can get today's ozone layer hole image on your computer. Download today's picture of the ozone layer hole via satellite from the TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) Satellite.