News

South Pole sees first sunrise in 6 months with arrival of spring

The fall equinox signals the coming of winter for the Northern Hemisphere, but heralds the arrival of spring — and the first sunrise since March — for researchers at NOAA’s South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory.

Possible new threat to Earth’s ozone layer

The Montreal Protocol has been hailed for controlling chlorine-based chemicals that created a vast hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. But new research by British and American scientists suggest a chemical not controlled by the international treaty poses a potential risk to the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

Photo: Last flight from the South Pole

As winter closes in, flights to the international research compound are suspended for the long Antarctic winter.

Antarctic ozone hole about average in 2016

The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer that forms over Antarctica each September grew to about 8.9 million square miles in 2016 before starting to recover, according to scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who monitor the annual phenomenon.

4 ways the ozone hole is linked to climate, and 1 way it isn’t

To mark the peak of ozone hole season, we’re highlighting four ways that climate and the ozone hole are related—and one important way they aren’t.

South Pole is last place on Earth to pass global warming milestone

The Earth passed another unfortunate milestone May 23 when carbon dioxide surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) at the South Pole for the first time in 4 million years.

Last light: Sunset at the South Pole

In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox promises warmer days and green plants. But for researchers at NOAA's South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, Sunday March 20 marks the start of the austral autumn, the last time they see the sun for six months.

2015 Sets a Record Low for Antarctic Ozone Hole in October

NOAA’s measurements of ozone at South Pole registered a record low for the month of October. This year, the average amount of ozone measured by a Dobson instrument at South Pole in the second half of October was 114 Dobson Units (DU), or 60 percent below the pre-ozone hole conditions.

Annual Antarctic Ozone Hole Larger and Formed Later in 2015

The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole area was larger and formed later than in recent years, according to scientists from NOAA and NASA.

Understanding the Ozone Hole - a video designed for high school level students

The sun rises at the South Pole every Sept 21, after six months of darkness, and the spark of light from the rising sun also starts a season of ozone depletion down south. With the approach of that date in mind, a CIRES/NOAA scientist and videographer has developed a short, educational video that focuses on the ozone research being conducted by NOAA and CIRES scientists.

Encouraging information from this year's observations of the Antarctic ozone hole

For nearly 50 years, scientists with NOAA have launched high-altitude balloons from the South Pole, to understand why a hole was forming in the protective ozone layer high in the atmosphere. Now, organizations around the world track the infamous ozone hole through these ballon-sondes, satellite measurements and ground instruments.

NOAA, NASA: Antarctic ozone hole second smallest in 20 years

Warmer air temperatures high above the Antarctic led to the second smallest seasonal ozone hole in 20 years, according to NOAA and NASA satellite measurements

Polar Sunrise and the Ozone Hole at South Pole, Antarctica: Sept. 22, 2012

At the bottom of the world, fifty people are looking forward to seeing the sun peek above the horizon on or around September 22 – the first time they have seen the sun in six months. NOAA ESRL/ GMD personnel LTJG Heather Moe and Johan Booth spent the Antarctic winter working at NOAA’s Atmospheric Research Observatory located at the geographic South Pole. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, one of three United States research stations in Antarctica, only experiences one sunrise and sunset per year due to its location at 90˚S latitude.

NOAA, NASA: Significant ozone hole remains over Antarctica

The Antarctic ozone hole, which yawns wide every Southern Hemisphere spring, reached its annual peak on September 12, stretching 10.05 million square miles, the ninth largest on record. Above the South Pole, the ozone hole reached its deepest point of the season on October 9 when total ozone readings dropped to 102 Dobson units, tied for the 10th lowest in the 26-year record.

South Pole ozone hole update

Scientists from NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL), Global Monitoring Division, are closely watching the development of the Antarctic ozone hole from the South Pole observatory.