What is the ozone-layer?
The ozone layer is located in the lower part of the stratosphere approximately 15 to 35 kilometers above Earth. The ozone layer absorbs 97–99 percent of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on Earth.
Ozone layer depletion
For a number of years we destroyed the ozone layer by the use of so-called CFC-gases. CFC-gases are broken down by the sun into substances that include chlorine. And just one atom of chlorine can destroy more than 100,000 ozone molecules. This destruction has resulted in what is sometimes referred to as a “hole” in the ozone-layer over Antarctica. It’s not really a hole but an area with extremely low concentrations of ozone.
World record Ozone layer depletion on 25 September, 2006
On September 25, 2006, the hole in the ozone-layer over Antarctica extended over 29 million square kilometers - more than Russia and Canada combined - and the total ozone loss was the largest on record.
October 2019: Ozone Hole is the Smallest on Record Since Its Discovery
According to NASA, the ozone hole shrank to less than 10 million square kilometers in September-October of 2019 which is about half the normal size at this time of year. NASA calls it "great news"!
The ozone-layer is recovering
Earth’s ozone layer has stopped its rapid decline and is now recovering. The ozone layer is expected to return to its pre-1980 levels around 2050 but will not be fully recovered until between 2060 and 2075.
Thanks to one clever decision
The massive ozone-layer losses in the 1980s were stopped by the banning of CFC-gases in the Montreal Protocol. This was a very important decision.
But the problem is not yet solved
Recently it was discovered that industries in the north-eastern parts of China are releasing large quantities of the banned and ozone-depleting CFC-gasses into the atmosphere in violation of the Montreal Protocol. This is very serious and must be stopped to continue positive developments on the recovery of the ozone-layer.
