ozone layer
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Metals from Rockets and Satellites Are Polluting Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
Around 11 miles above Earth’s surface, leftover bits from rockets and spacecraft are lingering in our planet’s atmosphere that could potentially have a lasting effect on the climate. A group of scientists flew a sensitive tool attached to the nose of a special research plane, sniffing out aerosols in the atmosphere. They found significant amounts…
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There’s an Antarctica-Sized Hole in the Ozone Layer
The quintessential 1980s problem of the ozone hole is still with us today. And in not-great news, this year’s ozone hole is bigger than usual and has spread over the entirety of Antarctica and then some.
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After Years of Rising, Emissions of an Ozone-Depleting Chemical Are Falling Again
A new study has found that after a mysterious increase in the 2010s, an ozone-depleting chemical is once again in decline. It’s a rare bit of good news, showing that previous research tracking the increase has likely had an impact.
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Industrial Chloroform Emissions Are Rising, And That’s Bad News
One of the rare bright spots amidst the environmental hellscape of 2018 was a United Nations report that the ozone hole was on track to be fully healed by mid century. But because no good news comes without caveats, scientists are now reporting that overlooked emissions of chloroform, which are on the rise in East…