Three British scientists shocked the world when they revealed on May 16th,1985 -25 years ago -that aerosol chemicals, among other factors, hadtorn a pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_0"">hole in the ozone layerover the 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_1"">South Pole.The ozone layer,which protects scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_2"">lifeon Earth from damaging none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_3"">solar radiation, became anovernight sensation. And the hole in the ozone layer became theposter-child for mankind's impact on the planet.
Today, the ozonehole - actually a region of thinned ozone, not actually a pure hole -doesn't make headlines like it used to. The size of the hole hasstabilized, thanks to decades of aerosol-banning legislation. But,scientists warn, some danger still remains.
First, the good news: Since the 1989 dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_5"">Montreal Protocol banned the useof ozone-depleting chemicals worldwide, the ozone hole has stoppedgrowing. Additionally, the ozone layer is blocking more cancer-causingradiation than any time in a decade because its average thickness hasincreased, according to a 2006 United Nations report. Atmospheric levelsof ozone-depleting chemicals have reached their lowest levels sincepeaking in the 1990s, and the hole has begun to shrink.
Now the bad news: The ozone layer has also thinned over the http://www.livescience.com/environment/top10_polar_differences.html">NorthPole. This thinning is predicted to continue for the next 15yearsdue to weather-related phenomena that scientists still cannot fullyexplain, according to the same UN report . And, repairing the ozone holeover the South Pole will take longer than previously expected, andwon't finish until between 2060 and 2075. Scientists now understand thatthe size of the ozone hole varies dramatically from year to year, whichcomplicates attempts to accurately predict the hole's future size.
Interestingly, recent studies have shown that the size of the ozonehole affects the http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/if-global-warming-is-real-why-is-it-still-snowing-0480/">globaltemperature. Closing the ozone hole actually speeds up themeltingof the 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_8"">polar ice caps,according to a 2009 study from ScientificCommittee on Antarctic Research.
So even though environmentally friendly laws have successfullyreversed the trend of repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_9"">ozone depletion, the lingering effects ofaerosoluse, and the link between the ozone hole and pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_10"">global warming,virtuallyensure that this problem will persist until the end of the century.
