Earth Science Gallery
2002 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES
Tape Title
Record ID
Date Produced
TRT:
Synopsis
SEEING DOUBLE: UNUSUAL WEATHER SPLITS 2002 ANTARCTIC OZONE 'HOLE' G02-076 9/30/02 00:08:27 For the first year on record, the Antarctic ozone 'hole' has split in two in September, due to abnormally active winter weather, NASA and NOAA scientists report. In addition to the early split, the 'hole' is the smallest since 1988 and ozone amounts have not dipped as low as recent years. The split and smaller hole do not signal a recovery of the ozone layer from yearly damage due to human-produced compounds like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but rather result from peculiar winter weather conditions in the stratosphere over Antarctica.
TAPE CONTENTS:
ITEM (1): 2002 Antarctic Ozone 'Hole' to Date - This series shows the 2002 Antarctic ozone 'hole' thin, widen, and eventually split. A warmer winter moderated the formation of stratospheric clouds necessary for ozone-depleting chemical reactions to occur. The ozone 'hole' (dark blue) averaged about 15 million square kilometers (sq. km) (6 million sq. miles) during mid-September. In 2000 and 2001, the 'hole' averaged over 24 million sq. km (9 million sq. mi.), an area three times as big as the United States. The lowest point thus far this year reached only 140 Dobson units September 9, the highest minimum since 1988. Normal readings are 275 Dobson units or more, measuring the thickness of the ozone layer by reporting the total amount of ozone in a column above a point on Earth. The 'hole' (shown in dark blue) has ozone levels of 220 Dobson units or fewer. Data come from NASA's Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EPTOMS).
Credit: NASA
ITEM (2): 'Hole' 2002 vs. 2001 - This image compares this year's Antarctic ozone 'hole' to the near-record-size 'hole' of 2001. Here, the hole is colored dark blue and magenta. In 2001, the ozone layer thinning over Antarctica reached 26.5 million square kilometers, larger than the size of the entire North American continent. Due to higher Antarctic winter temperatures, the 2002 'hole' seems to be about 40% smaller. This is reminiscent of the extent of thinning last seen in 1988, also due to warm temperatures and lower chlorine and bromine levels.
Credit: NASA
ITEM (3): Bucking the Trend - This series shows the maximum ozone 'hole' area for each year 1979 to 2001, excluding 1995, for which no data are available. The annual thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica has grown steadily larger. This year's smaller, split 'hole' is an anomaly due to higher temperatures at the edge of the polar vortex. The vortex allows clouds to form in the stratosphere that are necessary for the chemical reactions that deplete ozone. NASA first collected data on Antarctic ozone in 1979 with the Nimbus 7 satellite.
Credit: NASA
ITEM (4): Earth Probe Satellite - To measure the thickness of the ozone layer over the Earth, NASA uses the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument aboard the satellite shown here, Earth Probe (EP). NASA launched EP-TOMS in 1996.
Credit: NASA
ITEM (5): What Causes Ozone Loss? - Intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the upper atmosphere produces ozone (O3). The radiation breaks typical oxygen molecules (O2) into free oxygen atoms (O). The free oxygen atoms (O) then join with molecular oxygen (O2) to form a molecule of ozone (O3). The ozone molecule generally absorbs UV, shielding the Earth from the harmful rays. Chemical reactions involving gases such as chlorine, bromine, nitrogen, and hydrogen destroy ozone. The ozone depletion over Antarctica results from the combined actions of very cold conditions, the return of sunlight in the Antarctic spring, and these chemicals, which often come from human-produced compounds.
Credit: NASA
ITEM (6): B-Roll of Dr. Paul Newman In Lab
Credit: NASA
ITEM (7): Interview Excerpts With
Dr. Paul Newman, Atmospheric Physicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Credit: NASA
[2002
Antarctic Ozone Hole Movie]
[
Yearly Antarctic Ozone Hole Maxima Movie]
NOTE: The material advertised on this page is a "Video File" and is strictly recommended for the media and production companies. This is NOT a finished production but does contain some narration.
[HOME]
[Return to the Earth Science Catalog]
[How to order videotapes]
Earth Science Gallery
2002 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: | Synopsis |
| SEEING DOUBLE: UNUSUAL WEATHER SPLITS 2002 ANTARCTIC OZONE 'HOLE' | G02-076 | 9/30/02 | 00:08:27 | For the first year on record, the Antarctic ozone 'hole' has split in two in September, due to abnormally active winter weather, NASA and NOAA scientists report. In addition to the early split, the 'hole' is the smallest since 1988 and ozone amounts have not dipped as low as recent years. The split and smaller hole do not signal a recovery of the ozone layer from yearly damage due to human-produced compounds like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but rather result from peculiar winter weather conditions in the stratosphere over Antarctica. |
TAPE CONTENTS: |
||||
| ITEM (1): 2002 Antarctic Ozone 'Hole' to Date - This series shows the 2002 Antarctic ozone 'hole' thin, widen, and eventually split. A warmer winter moderated the formation of stratospheric clouds necessary for ozone-depleting chemical reactions to occur. The ozone 'hole' (dark blue) averaged about 15 million square kilometers (sq. km) (6 million sq. miles) during mid-September. In 2000 and 2001, the 'hole' averaged over 24 million sq. km (9 million sq. mi.), an area three times as big as the United States. The lowest point thus far this year reached only 140 Dobson units September 9, the highest minimum since 1988. Normal readings are 275 Dobson units or more, measuring the thickness of the ozone layer by reporting the total amount of ozone in a column above a point on Earth. The 'hole' (shown in dark blue) has ozone levels of 220 Dobson units or fewer. Data come from NASA's Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EPTOMS). Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (2): 'Hole' 2002 vs. 2001 - This image compares this year's Antarctic ozone 'hole' to the near-record-size 'hole' of 2001. Here, the hole is colored dark blue and magenta. In 2001, the ozone layer thinning over Antarctica reached 26.5 million square kilometers, larger than the size of the entire North American continent. Due to higher Antarctic winter temperatures, the 2002 'hole' seems to be about 40% smaller. This is reminiscent of the extent of thinning last seen in 1988, also due to warm temperatures and lower chlorine and bromine levels. Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (3): Bucking the Trend - This series shows the maximum ozone 'hole' area for each year 1979 to 2001, excluding 1995, for which no data are available. The annual thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica has grown steadily larger. This year's smaller, split 'hole' is an anomaly due to higher temperatures at the edge of the polar vortex. The vortex allows clouds to form in the stratosphere that are necessary for the chemical reactions that deplete ozone. NASA first collected data on Antarctic ozone in 1979 with the Nimbus 7 satellite. Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (4): Earth Probe Satellite - To measure the thickness of the ozone layer over the Earth, NASA uses the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) instrument aboard the satellite shown here, Earth Probe (EP). NASA launched EP-TOMS in 1996. Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (5): What Causes Ozone Loss? - Intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the upper atmosphere produces ozone (O3). The radiation breaks typical oxygen molecules (O2) into free oxygen atoms (O). The free oxygen atoms (O) then join with molecular oxygen (O2) to form a molecule of ozone (O3). The ozone molecule generally absorbs UV, shielding the Earth from the harmful rays. Chemical reactions involving gases such as chlorine, bromine, nitrogen, and hydrogen destroy ozone. The ozone depletion over Antarctica results from the combined actions of very cold conditions, the return of sunlight in the Antarctic spring, and these chemicals, which often come from human-produced compounds. Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (6): B-Roll of Dr. Paul Newman In Lab Credit: NASA | ||||
| ITEM (7): Interview Excerpts With Dr. Paul Newman, Atmospheric Physicist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Credit: NASA | ||||
[2002 Antarctic Ozone Hole Movie] [ Yearly Antarctic Ozone Hole Maxima Movie]
NOTE: The material advertised on this page is a "Video File" and is strictly recommended for the media and production companies. This is NOT a finished production but does contain some narration.
[HOME] [Return to the Earth Science Catalog] [How to order videotapes]