In the 1980s, scientists began to realize that ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), were creating a thin spot—a hole—in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Through an international effort to decrease the use of CFCs, the ozone layer is starting to mend, and scientists believe it should mostly recover by the middle of the 21st century. This series of satellite images shows the ozone hole on the day of its maximum depth from 1979 through 2018.

Producer: Kasha Patel
Images and animations by: Joshua Stevens, NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA Ozone Watch
Music: www.bensound.com
February 13, 2019

Video transcript

For more details about these images, read the full stories here:
World of Change: Antarctic Ozone Hole