The ozone layer above the Antarctic is healing thanks to global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an MIT study has found.
Lying in the stratosphere, the ozone layer absorbs a portion of the radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching the planet’s surface. That radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts and damage to plants and marine life if it reaches the Earth’s surface unimpeded.
In 1986, scientists led expeditions to the Antarctic, where they gathered evidence that a growing hole in the ozone layer was caused directly by broad use of CFCs – chemicals that were then deployed in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation and aerosol propellants.
The following year, those revelations led to the drafting of the Montreal Protocol – an international treaty that aimed to phase out the production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances globally, in hopes of healing the ozone hole.
While signs of ozone recovery have been observed in...