Ozone hole is beginning to heal
Decades after the fog from hairspray and deodorant cans dissipated in a worldwide ban, the results are paying off for Earth’s protective layer: The ozone hole over the Antarctic is beginning to heal, a new study finds.
In the stratosphere, the ozone layer blocks potentially harmful ultraviolet energy from reaching our planet’s surface. Without it, humans and animals could experience increased rates of skin cancer and other ailments.
Researchers found the hole had shrunk by more than 1.5 million square miles — about half the area of the contiguous USA — since 2000, when ozone depletion was at its peak.
“It’s a big surprise,” said Susan Solomon, an atmospheric chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lead author of the study published Thursday in the journal Science. “I didn’t think it (the healing) would be this early.”
The discovery shows global attempts to improve Earth’s environment can work, providing a template for how humanity could tackle the exponentially larger issue of climate change, Solomon said.