Ozone depletion is the result of a complex set of circumstances
and chemistry. This page has links to articles that give overviews
or broad information, shorter pieces that focus on specific
aspects of ozone depletion, images
and animations of ozone levels and ozone depletion, and international
organizations that issue regular updates.
Please note that this site is intended only to provide general
information about the science of ozone depletion. Therefore, it
is written without detailed citations of original research. If you
need such references, please see either the answers
to frequently asked questions, by Robert Parson, or NASA's
Ozone Resource File ,
both of which provide detailed information and full citations to
original papers. You can also find many original papers at the CIESIN
site .
EPA has another web site about global
warming. Please visit that site for information on global warming
science, projected impacts, governmental policies, and other information.
General Information
-
Forecast Earth
- Two minute movies summarizing the science and effects of ozone
depletion created through a partnership between EPA and The Weather
Channel.
-
Scientific
Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2002
- This is the most recent World Meteorological Organization and
United Nations Environmental Programme assessment. It contains
the most up-to-date understanding of ozone depletion and reflects
the thinking of over 250 international scientific experts who
contributed to its preparation and review.
Alternate Link: UNEP
site
-
Twenty Questions and Answers
About Ozone Depletion (2.1 MB)
- This component of the "Scientific Assesment of Ozone Depletion:
2002" presents 20 questions and answers about the often-complex
science of ozone depletion. The answers were all prepared by and
reviewed by a large international group of scientists. It is written
for a broad readership of decision-makers, educators, students,
and the
general public.
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Questions and Answers (brief)
-
Fact Sheet (detailed)
-
What EPA Has Done About Ozone
Depletion: An Overview
-
What Can Individuals Do?
-
On the Trail of the Missing Ozone
- This introduction to ozone depletion first describes the causes
and effects of ozone depletion, and then explains some of the
solutions. Follow Farley the reporter as he learns about this
issue. Links are provided along the way to more detailed information
found elsewhere on the site. Three versions are available: a web-viewable
set of illustrated panels, a text version, and an Adobe Acrobat
version.
-
The Ozone Depletion Process
- A broad overview of how ozone depletion occurs.
-
The Antarctic Ozone Hole
- View an animation of the 2000 hole, read why it occurs over
the South Pole, and consider the many ways to measure the hole.
-
Current Progress of the Antarctic Ozone Hole
- View a page from NOAA Climate Prediction Center's web site,
which shows weekly updates of the hole.
-
Ozone Science Crossword Puzzle
-
Environmental Indicators: Ozone
Depletion
- Describes the data that characterize the ozone layer and demonstrate
that CFCs and other chemicals are causing ozone depletion. Many
internal links allow more in-depth reading.
-
Ozone
Depletion: When Less Is Not Enough
- Written by the National Safety Council's Environmental Health
Center, this guide provides a well-rounded description of ozone
depletion, its causes, and its impacts. It is one chapter of a
book titled Reporting
on Climate Change: Understanding the Science.
-
Ozone-Depleting Substances, ODPs, GWPs,
and CAS Numbers
-
Myth vs. Measurement
- A series of responses to the most common misunderstandings about
ozone depletion.
-
Will the Ozone Layer Recover? Can We
Make More Ozone?
- A response to common questions about the ozone layer's recovery.
-
The Effects of Ozone Depletion
- A basic description of how ozone depletion harms human health
and the environment, with links to more detailed information.
-
Benefits of the CFC Phaseout
- This fact sheet describes specific benefits and also includes
some case studies of successful use of alternatives.
-
Ozone: Good
Up High, Bad Nearby
- Produced by EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards,
this fact sheet explains the difference between stratospheric
and tropospheric ozone.
-
Information from Environment Canada
- The Stratospheric Ozone
web site contains general and Canadian-focused information
on ozone depletion including a primer
on ozone depletion and indicators
of ozone depletion, featuring many graphs and original data.
-
Stratospheric
Ozone Depletion: A Focus on EPA's Research
- This brochure describes the mechanisms of and problems associated
with stratospheric ozone depletion as well as some of the research
projects pursued by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD).
Specific Aspects of Ozone Depletion
-
Numbering Scheme for Ozone-Depleting
Substances and Substitutes
- Why chemicals are numbered certain ways.
-
Ozone vs. Altitude
- Ozone concentrations are higher in the stratosphere than in
the troposphere.
-
Aerosols from Mt. Pinatubo
- A graph and explanation of the effects of volcanic aerosols
on ozone depletion.
-
Ozone Depletion Over the Northern Hemisphere
- Compares Arctic and Antarctic ozone losses, along with ozone
changes over North America and Arosa, Switzerland.
-
-
University of Georgia UV Monitoring
- Information on the network of UV monitors operated for EPA.
Images and Animations
-
Animation of the 2003 Ozone Hole
- A brief description of the causes of the ozone hole, plus an
animation of the 2003 event.
-
EPA's Ultraviolet Monitoring
Program
- EPA operates and maintains a network of Brewer spectrophotometers
throughout the United States, measuring full-sky spectrally-resolved
solar radiation in the UV-B and UV-A bands. Visitors can create
graphs of daily UV and ozone levels and download the data.
-
NASA's
TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) Multimedia Files: Ozone
Depletion Movies, Graphics, and Original Data
- This site is full of useful data and information. Download original
ozone level data and see movies and graphics of ozone depletion
and the Antarctic ozone hole. The site also lets you find the
ozone level over your house!
-
NOAA Climate Monitoring and
Diagnostics Laboratory
- CMDL includes several programs to measure important atmospheric
characteristics.
- Nitrous
Oxide And Halocompounds (NOAH) division
- NOAH measures concentrations of CFCs and other ozone-depleting
substances in the atmosphere. The web site provides access to
data and graphs.
- Ozone
and Water Vapor Group
- Provides links to several programs focusing on ozone measurement,
including vertical
profiles of ozone abundance at the South Pole during the
occurrence of the ozone hole and total global ozone.
-
NOAA
Climate Prediction Center
- Includes current satellite ozone maps; UV index bulletin; TOVS
data, images.
-
Ozone Hole Tour
- This tour was put together by members of the Centre for Atmospheric
Science at the University of Cambridge, UK. It features text,
graphics, and movies.
-
Ozone Images from the Department of Meteorology, University of
Reading, UK
- Features a 90-day archive of the latest images from global,
northern hemisphere, and southern hemisphere ozone measurements.
Also features animations and ozonesonde measurements from Antarctica.
Some of these images are also available from the NOAA Climate
Prediction Center.
-
World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre
- Operated by Environment Canada, this Centre provides current
and time series graphs of ozone and UV radiation over Canada and
North America.
International Scientific Organizations
- World Meteorological Organization Press Releases and Bulletins
- A collection of recent bulletins about the ozone hole.
-
British Antarctic Survey information
- Information from the group responsible for monitoring the Antarctic Ozone Hole, including regular bulletins on ozone levels.
- Online papers at CIESIN
- This site provides the full text of an enormous number of papers on ozone depletion.
Ozone Science Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ),
Answers, and References (not maintained by EPA; thanks to Robert
Parson)
This set of questions and answers provides carefully cited information.
It goes into considerable detail and provides numerous references
to original research.
The FAQ is available at several
sites in plain text.
Links to Other Information
Ozone Depletion Science
The Antarctic Ozone Hole
Ozone Monitoring
UV Index and UV Monitoring
Health Effects of Ozone Depletion
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