Good Ozone/Bad Ozone

A "hole" in the stratospheric ozone layer was first discovered over Antarctica by the British Antarctic Survey. Severe thinning of the layer is now observed every winter. The layer replenishes itself--fills in the hole--in the summer. But the size of the hole has been steadily increasing each year.

Large-scale ozone-layer destruction would allow enough ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth to cause widespread damage to plants and plankton. These organisms form the base of the food chain, and their destruction would cause problems for all other creatures as well.