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Ozone hole
In this focus
The discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, as reported in Nature 25 years ago, was one of the most dramatic scientific findings of modern times. To mark the anniversary, Nature presents the original research paper reporting the considerable decline in springtime atmospheric ozone concentration over Antarctica, along with a new Opinion piece from one of the paper's authors, plus a collection of related articles that have advanced our understanding of the stratosphere and the ozone layer, or told the story of the discovery.
Image: NASA
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Letters and Articles
Ozone in the upper atmosphere and its relation to meteorology
Dobson, G. M. B.
Nature 127, 668–672 (02 May 1931) doi:10.1038/127668a0
Clouds high in the stratosphere
Chapman, S.
Nature 129, 497–499 (02 April 1932) doi:10.1038/129497a0
Letter
Vertical distribution of ozone in the atmosphere
Götz, F. W. P., Dobson, G. M. B. & Meetham, A. R.
Nature 132, 281–281 (19 August 1933) doi:10.1038/132281a0
Letter
Stratospheric warming observed by Nimbus 4
Barnett, J. J. et al.
Nature 230, 47–48 (05 March 1971) doi:10.1038/230047a0
Letter
Halogenated hydrocarbons in and over the Atlantic
Lovelock, J. E., Maggs, R. J. & Wade, R. J.
Nature 241, 194–196 (19 January 1973) doi:10.1038/241194a0
Article
Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes: chlorine atomc-atalysed destruction of ozone Free access
Mario J. Molina & F. S. Rowland
Nature 249, 810–812 (28 June 1974) doi:10.1038/249810a0
Letter
A simple calculation of ozone depletion by chlorofluoromethanes using a two-dimensional model
Pyle, J.A.
Nature 271, 42–43 (05 January 1978) doi:10.1038/271042a0
Article
Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and stratospheric ozone
Groves, K. S., Mattingly, S. R. & Tuck, A. F.
Nature 273, 711–715 (29 June 1978) doi:10.1038/273711a0
Letter
Large losses of total ozone in Antarctica reveal seasonal ClOx/NOx interaction Free access
Farman, J. C., Gardiner, B. G. & Shanklin, J. D.
Nature 315, 207–210 (16 May 1985) doi:10.1038/315207a0
Letter
On the depletion of Antarctic ozone
Susan Solomon, Rolando R. Garcia, F. Sherwood Rowland & Donald J. Wuebbles
Nature 321, 755–758 (19 June 1986) doi:10.1038/321755a0
Letter
Reductions of Antarctic ozone due to synergistic interactions of chlorine and bromine
Michael B. McElroy, Ross J. Salawitch, Steven C. Wofsy & Jennifer A. Logan
Nature 321, 759–762 (19 June 1986) doi:10.1038/321759a0
Letter
Nimbus 7 satellite measurements of the springtime Antarctic ozone decrease
Stolarski, R. S. et al.
Nature 322, 808–811 (28 August 1986) doi:10.1038/322808a0
Letter
Nitric acid cloud formation in the cold Antarctic stratosphere: a major cause for the springtime 'ozone hole'
Paul J. Crutzen & Frank Arnold
Nature 324, 651–655 (18 December 1986) doi:10.1038/322808a0
Letter
Balloon-borne observations of the development and vertical structure of the Antarctic ozone hole in 1986
Hofmann, D. J., Harder, J. W., Rolf, S. R. & Rosen, J. M.
Nature 326, 59–62 (05 March 1987) doi:10.1038/326059a0
Letter
High concentrations of chlorine monoxide at low altitudes in the Antarctic spring stratosphere: diurnal variation
de Zafra, R. L. et al.
Nature 328, 408–411 (30 July 1987) doi:10.1038/328408a0
Letter
High concentrations of chlorine monoxide at low altitudes in the Antarctic spring stratosphere: secular variation
Solomon, P. M. et al.
Nature 328, 411–413 (30 July 1987) doi:10.1038/328411a0
Article
The stability and photochemistry of dimers of the ClO radical and implications for Antarctic ozone depletion
Cox, R. A. & Hayman, G. D.
Nature 332, 796–800 (28 April 1988) doi:10.1038/332796a0
Article
Stratospheric clouds and ozone depletion in the Arctic during January 1989
Hoffmann, D. J. et al.
Nature 340, 117–121 (13 July 1989) doi:10.1038/340117a0
Article
Possibility of an Arctic ozone hole in a doubled-CO2 climate
John Austin, Neal Butchart & Keith P. Shine
Nature 360, 221–225 (19 November 1992) doi:10.1038/360221a0
Article
Stratospheric CIO and ozone from the Microwave Limb Sounder on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
Waters, J. M. et al.
Nature 362, 597–602 (15 April 1993) doi:10.1038/362597a0
Letter
Increased chlorine dioxide over Antarctica caused by volcanic aerosols from Mount Pinatubo
S. Solomon, R. W. Sanders, R. R. Garcia & J. G. Keys
Nature 363, 245–248 (20 May 1993) doi:10.1038/328411a0
Article
Chemical depletion of ozone in the Arctic lower stratosphere during winter 1992-93
Manney, G. L. et al.
Nature 370, 429–434 (11 August 1994) doi:10.1038/370429a0
Letter
Observational evidence for chemical ozone depletion over the Arctic in winter 1991-92
Peter Von der Gathen et al.
Nature 375, 131–134 (11 May 1995) doi:10.1038/375131a0
Letter
Continued decline of total ozone over Halley, Antarctica, since 1985
Jones, A. E. & Shanklin, J. D.
Nature 376, 409–411 (3 August 1995) doi:10.1038/376409a0
Letter
Fingerprint of ozone depletion in the spatial and temporal pattern of recent lower-stratospheric cooling
Ramaswamy, V., Schwarzkopf, M. D. & Randel, W. J.
Nature 382, 616–618 (15 August 1996) doi:10.1038/382616a0
Letter
Severe chemical ozone loss in the Arctic during the winter of 1995-96
Rolf Müller et al.
Nature 389, 709–712 (16 October 1997) doi:10.1038/39564
Letter
Increased polar stratospheric ozone losses and delayed eventual recovery owing to increasing greenhouse-gas concentrations
Drew T. Shindell, David Rind & Patrick Lonergan
Nature 392, 589–592 (9 April 1998) doi:10.1038/33385
Letter
The effect of climate change on ozone depletion through changes in stratospheric water vapour
Daniel B. Kirk-Davidoff, Eric J. Hintsa, James G. Anderson & David W. Keith
Nature 402, 399–401 (25 November 1999) doi:10.1038/46521
Letter
Extreme climate of the global troposphere and stratosphere in 1940-42 related to El Niño
S. Brönnimann et al.
Nature 431, 971–974 (21 October 2004) doi:10.1038/nature02982
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Reviews
The ozone in the Earth's atmosphere
Harrison, D. N.
Nature 124, 58–61 (13 July 1929) doi:10.1038/124058a0
Review
Progress towards a quantitative understanding of Antarctic ozone depletion
Susan Solomon
Nature 347, 347–354 (27 September 1990) doi:10.1038/347347a0
Review
The search for signs of recovery of the ozone layer
Elizabeth C. Weatherhead & Signe Bech Andersen
Nature 441, 39–45 (4 May 2006) doi:10.1038/nature04746
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News and Views
News and Views
Destruction of atmospheric ozone?
Clyne, M. A. A.
Nature 249, 796–797 (28 June 1974) doi:10.1038/249796a0
News and Views
Stratospheric chemistry: Depletion of Antarctic ozone
Tuck, A. F.
Nature 321, 729–730 (19 June 1986) doi:10.1038/321729a0
News and Views
More news from Antarctica
Susan Solomon
Nature 326, 20 (5 March 1987) doi:10.1038/326020a0
News and Views
Causes of ozone depletion
Brian Thrush
Nature 332, 784–785 (28 April 1988) doi:10.1038/332784a0
News and Views
Stratospheric ozone depletion over the Arctic
Martyn Chipperfield
Nature 349, 279–280 (24 January 1991) doi:10.1038/349279a0
News and Views
A deepening, broadening trend
Guy P. Brasseur
Nature 352, 668–669 (22 August 1991) doi:10.1038/352668a0
News and Views
Ultraviolet on the increase
Paul J. Crutzen
Nature 356, 104–105 (12 March 1992) doi:10.1038/356104a0
News and Views
Volcanic aerosols implicated
Guy Brasseur
Nature 359, 275–276 (24 September 1992) doi:10.1038/359275a0
News and Views
A looming Arctic ozone hole?
J. D. Mahlman
Nature 360, 209–210 (19 November 1992) doi:10.1038/360209a0
News and Views
Satellite maps ozone destroyer
Martyn Chipperfield
Nature 362, 592–593 (15 April 1993) doi:10.1038/362592a0
News and Views
Ideas flow on Antarctic vortex
William Randel
Nature 364, 105–106 (8 July 1993) doi:10.1038/364105a0
News and Views
Atmospheric chemistry A bad winter for Arctic ozone
Richard Stolarski
Nature 389, 788–789 (23 October 1997) doi:10.1038/39737
News and Views
Ozone depletion: A greenhouse warming connection
Ross J. Salawitch
Nature 392, 551–552 (9 April 1998) doi:10.1038/33287
News and Views
Climate: Wider connections for El Niño
William J. Randel
Nature 431, 920–921 (21 October 2004) doi:10.1038/431920a
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Commentary
The great ozone controversy
John Maddox
Nature 329, 101 (10 September 1987) doi:10.1038/329101a0
Carbon dioxide will be harder
John Maddox
Nature 346, 11 (5 July 1990) doi:10.1038/346011a0
Commentary
Better protection of the ozone layer
Malcolm K. W. Ko, Nien-Dak Sze & Michael J. Prather
Nature 367, 505–508 (10 February 1994) doi:10.1038/367505a0
Commentary
The ozone layer: the road not taken
Michael Prather, Pauline Midgley, F. Sherwood Rowland & Richard Stolarski
Nature 381, 551–554 (13 June 1996) doi:10.1038/381551a0
Commentary
The hole truth
Susan Solomon
Nature 427, 289–291 (22 January 2004) doi:10.1038/427289a
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Overview
Overview
A hole in Earth's shield Free access
Richard S. Stolarski
A Century of Nature Ch. 18 (1985)
Opinion
Reflections on the ozone hole
Jonathan Shanklin
Nature 465, 34–35 (06 May 2010) doi:10.1038/465034a
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