Ozone Layer The Earth is constantly bombarded by radiation from the Sun. The atmosphere protects the surface of the Earth from this radiation. It is possible that air pollution is causing part of the atmosphere to get thinner.
Scientists measure the ozone layer to see if it is getting thinner.
With a thinner ozone layer, more ultraviolet radiation can pass through the atmosphere. This might cause more skin cancer, mutations, and global warming. This map shows how much thinner the ozone layer was over Antarctica in 1995 than in previous years. The blue and purple parts of this map show the parts of the ozone layer which are getting thinner the fastest. Using an atlas, find Antarctica.