ozone

A false-color image showing ozone concentrations above Antarctica on Oct. 2, 2015.

The ozone layer is bouncing back. And our hairstyles will be OK too.

Environment

When we found out back in the 1980s that aerosol propellants and refrigerants were eating up the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer, many people complained that we couldn’t come up with suitable substitutes. But we did, people’s hairstyles and fridges are fine, and scientists now say that nature is finally starting to heal the ozone layer.

This NASA graphic shows relative average levels of atmospheric ozone over the northern hemisphere in 1984 and 1997. The lower concentrations, shown in darker colors, are due to the effects of ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere.

The latest news on the ozone layer shows we can solve big environmental problems

Environment