Eos had an interesting article earlier today which provided an update on the status of the ozone hole in the Antarctic. You may recall that the ozone hole developed due to the effects of man-made refrigerants called chlorofluorocarbons, which interacted with polar clouds to destroy ozone at upper levels in the atmosphere.
Ozone at that level protects the earth’s surface from harmful ultraviolet rays which can cause mutations leading to skin cancer (note that surface ozone is a pollutant which corrodes surfaces and plants). Because of the ban on CFCs, the ozone hole is gradually getting smaller and may eventually disappear.
