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Article: Ozone Layer and Ozone Hole Dynamics
- Article from:
- World of Earth Science
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ozone layer and ozone hole dynamics
In 1985, atmospheric scientists discovered that stratospheric
ozone
over
Antarctica
had been reduced to half its natural level. This local loss, termed the Antarctic ozone hole, was traced to destruction of stratospheric ozone by human-made chemicals, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs; artificial compounds consisting of chlorine, fluorine, and
carbon
and widely used as refrigerants and aerosol spray propellants). Other evidence indicates that ozone levels potentially declining over other regions, though nowhere as drastically as over Antarctica.
The ozone hole covers an
area
over the Antarctic continent, the surrounding ocean, the southern ...