May 31, 2006 - Earth

sagar: Author=’Marc Airhart’ program=’4896′ video=”The ozone hole over the south pole, as seen by satellite on October 15, 2005. The blue and purple colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is the most. Visit NASA’s Ozone Hole Watch to see updated satellite images of the ozone hole. Click to expand._DB:_ This is “Earth & Sky”:/http://208.96.63.114/. Earth’s protective ozone layer seems to have stabilized and might be on a long road to recovery.

_JB:_ That?s according to “Betsy Weatherhead”:http://cires.colorado.edu/science/groups/weatherhead/ of the University of Colorado in Boulder. She and a colleague reviewed satellite data and found that, over the past decade, the ozone layer stopped thinning and in some places appears to be growing. They attribute the turn-around to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that banned ozone-destroying chemicals.

_Betsy Weatherhead:_ I’m absolutely impressed not so much as a scientist, but I’m just impressed as a citizen of the Earth. This was a global problem. It was a real threat to the environment and as a result of the collaboration between scientists, policy makers, chemical manufacturers and even everyday citizens, we ended up arresting the problem and we’re starting to see the Earth as a whole improve.

_DB:_ Experts believe it could take 50 more years – at least – for the ozone layer to recover completely. Meanwhile, said Weatherhead – because of the increased risks of skin cancer and cataracts – people should still limit their exposure to UV radiation by wearing hats, sunglasses and sunscreen.

_Betsy Weatherhead:_ No one should be thinking, “Great, I can throw out that sunscreen, I never liked it to begin with.” No one should interpret these results that way.

_JB: Our thanks today to “NASA”:http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/nasa_gen/:_ explore, discover, understand. We’re Block and Byrd for “Earth & Sky”:/http://208.96.63.114/.

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