Arctic ozone hole research. Polar stratospheric cloud formations (PSCs) over the Arctic, photographed from Kiruna, Sweden, during the CHEOPS-3 (CHEmis

---

Arctic ozone hole research. Polar stratospheric cloud formations (PSCs) over the Arctic, photographed from Kiruna, Sweden, during the CHEOPS-3 (CHEmistry of Ozone in Polar Stratosphere) project of January & February 1990. PSCs contain ice particles that are suspected of acting as substrates for the chemical reactions that release active chlorine, which can then destroy ozone. The ozone layer protects us from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Studies in the Arctic & Antarctica since 1987 have implicated chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made chemicals used in aerosols & refrigerants, as the cause of ozone depletion, the so-called \ozone hole\"."

---

Size: 3517px × 4984px
Photo credit: © PHILIPPE PLAILLY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: arctic, climate, cloud, clouds, depleting, hole, meteorology, ozone, polar, research, stratospheric, type, types, weather