Toxic particulate matter has decreased by about a third over the past decade, but levels are still above what’s considered healthy.
ozone
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Arctic Ozone Loss Brings Warming to the Near Surface
New research confirms that ozone loss over the Arctic can lead to widespread warming near the Artic surface during late winter and early spring.
Posted inNews
Air Pollution Linked to Adverse Mental Health Effects
Adolescents exposed to higher levels of ozone experienced an increase in depressive symptoms.
Posted inNews
Australian Wildfires Linked to Ozone Layer Depletion
New research shows that the Black Summer bushfires damaged the ozone layer, eliminating a decade’s worth of progress.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Air Pollution Was Reduced During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A decrease in emissions of ozone precursor gases during the COVID-19 economic downturn likely explains the unusual reduction in ozone concentrations observed during the spring and summer of 2020.
Posted inNews
Iodine-Laden Desert Dust Is Eating at Ozone Pollution
In a happy accident, scientists found a potential solution to an atmospheric chemistry mystery. Their findings could be a missing piece in the iodine cycle and in atmospheric models.
Posted inEditors' Vox
New Insights into Polar Stratospheric Clouds
New satellite observations of polar stratospheric clouds have advanced our understanding of how, when, and where they form, their composition, and their role in ozone depletion.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Examining the Intricacies of Ozone Removal by Deciduous Forests
A new study looks into how air movement in the atmospheric boundary layer affects ozone removal by deciduous forests, which are a significant ozone sink.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Measurements of Ozone-Depleting Chemicals in the Asian Monsoon
New high-altitude aircraft observations identify unexpected high levels of halogen-containing species entering the stratosphere above the summertime Asian monsoon.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Halocarbons: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
CFCs and other halocarbons have long been known for causing an ozone hole over the Antarctic, but many of them are also powerful greenhouse gases.