Published by Australian Academy of Science
Useful sites | Earth's sunscreen – the ozone layer

Our ozone shield (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA)

Written in non-technical language and an excellent introduction to the topic. Ozone formation and destruction is described simply and the history of ozone depletion is traced from the early 1970s.
http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/library/rtnf92.htm

The ozone layer: life's protective blanket (Australian Antarctic Division)

Looks at why the thinning of the ozone layer occurs over the Antarctic in spring and summer.
http://www-new.aad.gov.au/default.asp?content=dynamic&title=The+ozone+layer&casid=750&docid=578&type=1&children=

Ozone depletion (Atmospheric Research and Information Centre, UK)

Provides a series of fact sheets on ozone depletion, organised under three headings: 'The science of ozone depletion', 'The impacts of ozone depletion' and 'Managing ozone depletion'.
http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/Resources/Fact_Sheets/Key_Stage_4/Ozone_Depletion/contents.html

The Nobel Prize in chemistry 1995 (Nobelprize.org, Sweden)

This poster describes the work on ozone chemistry that won a Nobel Prize.
http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/educational/poster/1995/index.html

The changing atmosphere in 2005 (Australian Academy of Science)

The transcript of a lecture by Nobel laureate Sherwood Rowland about chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
http://www.science.org.au/events/rowland/index.htm

Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources

• Ozone and synthetic greenhouse gases
  Provides information on ozone depleting substances, synthetic greenhouse gases and Australian regulations to implement the Montreal Protocol.
  http://www.environment.gov.au/atmosphere/ozone/

• Australian halon management strategy
  Describes strategies for management of ozone-depleting substances in 'The Australian Halon Management Strategy (AHMS)' and 'Controlled substances'.
  http://www.environment.gov.au/atmosphere/ozone/publications/halonstrategy.html

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

• Record ozone loss over Antarctica (News in Science, 3 October 2006)
  Reports that European Space Agency measurements indicate that Antarctica suffered its highest recorded single-year loss in ozone.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1754508.htm?enviro

• Ozone hole is recovering (News in Science, 31 August 2006)
  Suggests that the ozone layer may be fully recovered by mid-century.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1728666.htm

• Antarctic ozone hole may have peaked (News in Science, 19 October 2005)
  Suggests that the hole in the ozone layer has reached a plateau in size.
  http://abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_1485579.htm

Ask the experts (Scientific American)

Answers questions about the stratospheric ozone hole and surface level ozone.
http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?chanID=sa005&articleID=D6E0B35F-E7F2-99DF-3D11ADBDE00C88D7&topic_id=10

UV forecast chart (Australian Bureau of Meteorology)

Daily UV forecasts are available here.
http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/national/charts/UV.shtml

The Ozone Hole Tour (Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Cambridge, UK)

Covers the discovery of the hole, recent ozone loss over Antarctica, the science of the ozone hole and latest research.
http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/

Science@NASA (USA)

• The incredible shrinking ozone hole
  Reports that the ozone hole was the largest ever in 2000, but closed up earlier than it has in recent years.
  http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12dec_1.htm?list153136

• Peering into the ozone hole
  Explains why the size of the ozone hole is not simply related to the concentration of CFCs in the stratosphere.
  http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02oct_1.htm?list41469

The ozone depletion phenomenon (Beyond Discovery, National Academy of Sciences, USA)

A detailed look at the basic research that led to the discovery of stratospheric ozone depletion. (A PDF file of the complete article is available.)
http://www.beyonddiscovery.org/content/view.article.asp?a=73

The science of ozone depletion (Environmental Protection Agency, USA)

This site has many useful annotated links. It is very up-to-date and has an extensive glossary.
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/

Ozone (United Nations Environment Programme)

A special issue of the magazine, Our Planet. Articles cover a variety of issues associated with ozone depletion.
http://www.ourplanet.com/txtversn/92/contents.html

Ozone depletion FAQ Part I: Introduction to the ozone layer
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/intro/

Ozone depletion FAQ Part II: Stratospheric chlorine and bromine
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/stratcl/

Ozone depletion FAQ Part III: The Antarctic ozone hole
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/antarctic/

Ozone depletion FAQ Part IV: UV radiation and its effects
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/ozone-depletion/uv/

This set of FAQs (frequently asked questions) has been put together by Robert Parson, a chemist at the University of Colorado.