Worldwide action to phase out ozone-depleting substances has resulted in remarkable success, according to a new assessment by 300 international scientists. The stratospheric ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas that protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet light, is on track to recovery over the next few decades.
The Assessment for Decision-Makers, a summary of the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2014, provides new information to affirm that the 1987 international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has successfully resulted in global international policies to reduced levels of ozone-depleting substances.
The report is conducted by the World Meteorological Organization, or WMO, and the United Nations Environmental Program, or UNEP, and co-sponsored by NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, and the European Commission.
"It is particularly gratifying to report that the ozone layer is on track for recovery to 1980 benchmark levels by mid-century," said Paul A. Newman, chief scientist for atmospheres at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and a co-chair of the WMO/UNEP report. "Many of these early signs of ozone improvements are due to decades of work and contributions by NASA and NOAA instruments and scientists."
The purple areas show how the ozone layer has depleted over time. There's still a LONG way to go, but rise up Antarctica sis, rise, this is the beginning.
I learned it's a finite resource that can't be duplicated and that within a couple decades it will no longer be available
"Helium is non-renewable and irreplaceable. Its properties are unique and unlike hydrocarbon fuels (natural gas or oil), there are no biosynthetic ways to make an alternative to helium."
,his is the beginning.
