SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Ozone Study at North Pole

Scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who have studied the loss of ozone over the South Pole are turning their attention to the North Pole.

In the Antarctic study, NOAA scientists gathered data on the effects of chemicals in the creation of a hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole. The scientists plan to use instruments to take measurements this month of ozone levels in the stratosphere over Thule Air Force Base in Greenland, according to Daniel Albritton, director of NOAA’s Aeronomy Laboratory in Boulder.

He said a NASA weather satellite has detected a possible ozone depletion over the Arctic, but that this interpretation is considered controversial.

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas that shields the Earth from damaging ultraviolet radiation from the sun.