2007-06-28 13:39:09 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment ➔ Global Warming
It's still alive and well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_hole.
Interesting consideration: the "hole" has been increasing in size every year since it was discovered (yes, recent reports to the contrary were premature). We still don't *really* know if it is a naturally occurring phenomenon, if it is cyclical and will decrease in size without any human intervention, or if it is the result of human (over)population.
What we know for certain is that it's there, it's still growing, and it's potentially dangerous to humans.
2007-06-28 13:44:56 · answer #1 · answered by JimPettis 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The ozone hole is still there and it would be premature to say whether it's growing or shrinking. What we can say for certain is that the rate of ozone depletion has significantly declined since the banning of ozone depelting substances (ODS).
One problem of ODSs is that they keep on damaging the ozone layer for a long time after they enter the atmosphere. Firstly, they take about 15 years to move into the upper atmosphere and secondly they keep on destroying ozone for approx 100 years.
All those CFC's that were being released in the 1980's and earlier are still up there in the atmosphere and still destroying the ozone layer. If the ozone layer wasn't self-repairing then we should have seen it continue to deplete at the rate it was doing previously. This isn't happening. Some years it expands, some years it contracts, the general trend is more or less steady.
This is good news, the ozone layer is still being damaged by the OSD's but it's repairing itself at the same time and the damage isn't getting worse. In the decades to comes the OSD's will weaken and the ozone layer will continue repairing itself. In time it will restore itself to it's natural level (provided we don't mess it up again).
2007-06-28 22:27:22 · answer #2 · answered by Trevor 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ozone snake went into it.
2007-06-29 00:29:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is now filled with the missing honey bees.
Now it's no longer an issue. :)
Actually, the 'scientists' exhausted all of their grants on that project, and now have moved on to global warming.
I'm guessing when those grants run out, the next 'sky is falling' panic will be global cooling.
2007-06-28 20:41:24 · answer #4 · answered by No Chance Without Bernoulli 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
sorry shyhawk the global cooling was in the 70's, they will have to come up with some other line of crap to reel in all the suckers.
2007-06-29 01:34:24 · answer #5 · answered by rome 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It couldn't compete with the hole in George Bushs' head, so it gave up.
2007-06-28 20:43:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's all better now... or I think the focus has left that little hole and gone on to global warming!!
2007-06-28 20:42:20 · answer #7 · answered by Aaron D 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I dunno..but I heard Paris Hilton made a video about it
2007-06-28 23:07:37 · answer #8 · answered by akitamommy2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Al Gore invented a way to patch it.
2007-06-28 22:57:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Filled up with greenhouse gases.
2007-06-28 23:44:38 · answer #10 · answered by jdkilp 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋