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Topic: Ozone

A NOAA ozonesonde -- an instrument used to help scientists monitor the Antarctic ozone hole -- ascends over the South Pole in this time-lapse photo taken October 21, 2020. Ideal weather conditions helped create a large, persistent ozone hole that will last into November 2020.

Large, deep Antarctic ozone hole to persist into November

October 30, 2020

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climate science

A NOAA ozonesonde -- an instrument used to help scientists monitor the Antarctic ozone hole -- ascends over the South Pole in this time-lapse photo taken October 21, 2020. Ideal weather conditions helped create a large, persistent ozone hole that will last into November 2020.

NOAA satellites observed an ozone hole developing over the Arctic March 10, 2020. In this snapshot, places where ozone amounts are less than 280 Dobson Units are shown in red.

Spring 2020 brings rare ozone 'hole' over the Arctic

April 29, 2020

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NOAA satellites observed an ozone hole developing over the Arctic March 10, 2020. In this snapshot, places where ozone amounts are less than 280 Dobson Units are shown in red.

The seasonal Antarctic ozone hole—the area where the ozone concentration drops below 220 Dobson units—reached its peak area on September 8, 2019. In these NOAA satellite images from August 31–September 8 (upper left to bottom right), places with high ozone levels are bright blue, while the ozone hole is dark blue and deep red. (NOAA Climate.gov image, based on daily TOAST data processed by NOAA's Environmental Visualization Lab.)

5 questions answered about this year's record-small ozone hole

October 22, 2019

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The seasonal Antarctic ozone hole—the area where the ozone concentration drops below 220 Dobson units—reached its peak area on September 8, 2019. In these NOAA satellite images from August 31–September 8 (upper left to bottom right), places with high ozone levels are bright blue, while the ozone hole is dark blue and deep red. (NOAA Climate.gov image, based on daily TOAST data processed by NOAA's Environmental Visualization Lab.)

Sept. 9, 2019: A time-lapse image of NOAA staff at the South Pole launching a weather balloon fitted with an ozonesonde that measures vertical concentrations of ozone inside the ozone hole.

The 2019 ozone hole is the smallest ever recorded

October 21, 2019

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Sept. 9, 2019: A time-lapse image of NOAA staff at the South Pole launching a weather balloon fitted with an ozonesonde that measures vertical concentrations of ozone inside the ozone hole.

Air samples from NOAA's Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory provided the first evidence of new production of the ozone-destroying chemical CFC-11, in violation of the Montreal Protocol. A new study in Nature pinpoints the source of these emissions to two provinces in China.

Who’s the source of a banned ozone-destroying chemical?

May 22, 2019

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Air samples from NOAA's Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory provided the first evidence of new production of the ozone-destroying chemical CFC-11, in violation of the Montreal Protocol. A new study in Nature pinpoints the source of these emissions to two provinces in China.

The view of total ozone over the Antarctic pole from October 24, 2018. The purple and blue colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is more ozone.

Ozone hole could've been a big one this year – but it wasn’t

November 2, 2018

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The view of total ozone over the Antarctic pole from October 24, 2018. The purple and blue colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is more ozone.

Early colors of a rising sun approach the horizon behind NOAA's Atmospheric Research Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, September 8, 2018.

Photo feature: A ‘welcoming’ sun returns to the South Pole

September 28, 2018

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Early colors of a rising sun approach the horizon behind NOAA's Atmospheric Research Observatory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, September 8, 2018.

Going, going, gone: A NOAA weather balloon floats into the pre-dawn Antarctic sky over the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in this time-lapse photograph taken September 15, 2017. The balloon was carrying an ozonesonde -- instrument to measure ozone during NOAA's annual monitoring of the Antarctic ozone hole. Rising emissions of a strictly regulated chemical threatens recovery of the ozone hole, according to new NOAA research published in the journal Nature, May 16, 2018.

Emissions of an ozone-destroying chemical are rising again

May 16, 2018

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Going, going, gone: A NOAA weather balloon floats into the pre-dawn Antarctic sky over the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in this time-lapse photograph taken September 15, 2017. The balloon was carrying an ozonesonde -- instrument to measure ozone during NOAA's annual monitoring of the Antarctic ozone hole. Rising emissions of a strictly regulated chemical threatens recovery of the ozone hole, according to new NOAA research published in the journal Nature, May 16, 2018.

Ground-level ozone in the form of smog, shown here in Denver, Colorado, is a growing problem in the western United States and elsewhere around the world.

Study: People in parts of U.S. and beyond breathe unhealthy ozone pollution more than 2 weeks a year

February 5, 2018

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Ground-level ozone in the form of smog, shown here in Denver, Colorado, is a growing problem in the western United States and elsewhere around the world.

This time-lapse photo shows the path of an ozonesonde as it rises into the atmosphere in the South Pole. Scientists release these balloon-borne sensors to measure the thickness of the ozone layer. Courtesy of Robert Schwarz/University of Minnesota

Warm air helped keep 2017 Antarctic ozone hole smallest in 29 years

November 2, 2017

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climate science

This time-lapse photo shows the path of an ozonesonde as it rises into the atmosphere in the South Pole. Scientists release these balloon-borne sensors to measure the thickness of the ozone layer. Courtesy of Robert Schwarz/University of Minnesota

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