A3.8 Continued (2)…
Observed ozone over the British Antarctic Survey station at Halley Bay first revealed obvious decreases in the early 1980s compared to data obtained since 1957. In addition to Antarctica, ozone depletion now affects almost all of North America, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and a sizeable part of South America.
The following image is of the Ozone Layer, taken by NASA on the 13th September 2007:
Source: NASA; http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/ozone_resource_page.html
The following image is of the Ozone Layer, taken by NASA on the 28th November 2015:
Source: NASA; http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/Scripts/big_image.php?date=2015-11-28&hem=S&source=IOMI_PAURA_V8F_MGEOS5FP§ion=HOME
The destruction of the ozone layer will allow an increased level of UV radiation to reach the earth. The consequences of this include:
- Increases in skin cancer.
- Increased risk of eye damage (including cataracts).
- Damage to plants, including crops and forests (barley and oats, have shown decreased growth as a result of exposure to increased UV radiation).
- Damage to freshwater and marine ecosystems (including a reduction in plankton in the ocean, which is the basis of the marine food chain).
- Reduction in the lifespan of construction materials.