Ozone.1

Actual Elapsed Time: 14 days (1,210,000 seconds)

This animation shows how the protective layer of ozone is disappearing over the South Pole. The pink color in the diagram indicates where the most ozone has been lost. By speeding up the action more than 10,000 times, we can see the pink ozone hole move and grow. Ozone is a special form of oxygen that can absorb ultraviolet light from the sun. Without this blanket of ozone high in the atmosphere, the Earth would be flooded with dangerous levels of ultraviolet radiation. During the winter months in Antarctica, from April to October, man-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) react with and destroy the ozone. This happens most noticeably in October as the winter is ending. The ozone hole over the South Pole formed without anyone noticing - it happened too slowly for anyone to perceive it. It was only through long-term measurements from satellites and animations like this one, that scientists realized that ozone was being destroyed.

How This Clip Was Made:

This time-lapse video was created from a series of images taken by a NASA satellite that orbits the North and South Poles. One image is taken each day and is displayed for one second. Images provided by: NASA. Post-Production: Brennan Doyle.

Related Clips:

Ozone.2 - Actual Elapsed Time: 6 months (15,500,000 seconds)

Ozone.3 - Actual Elapsed Time: 10 years (315 million seconds)