The Hole in Our Ozone Remember that ozone hole that forms above Antarctica every year? Well, according to NASA, this hole is slowly shrinking every, this year's smaller size due to the usual variations of Antarctic weather conditions. In 2006, the ozone hole had reached a record size, more than 11 million square miles. Ozone is a gas made up of three oxygen atoms (O 3 ). It occurs naturally in small (trace) amounts in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere). Ozone protects life on Earth from the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) near the Earth’s surface, ozone is created by chemical reactions between air pollutants from vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and other emissions. At ground level, high concentrations of ozone are toxic to people and plants. Scientists don't expect it to be completely healed until 2065, but if we do our part, we could probably speed up the process. "With ozone depletion, mankind has demonstr...
