Environment

Massive 'proton aurora' blasted a 250-mile-wide hole in Earth's ozone layer

When a blast of solar energy slammed into Earth in June 2015, the resulting rain of particles tore a 250-mile-wide (400 kilometers) hole into the upper ozone layer, new research has found.

Fortunately, the ozone hole only appeared in Earth's mesosphere — a high layer of the atmosphere that extends from about 31 to 53 miles (50 to 85 km) over Earth — and did not extend down to the much more important ozone layer in the stratosphere, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the researchers found.

Still, the ozone depletion in the mesosphere was far greater than researchers previously thought possible — and future events like this could alter climate patterns in lower layers of the atmosphere, all the way down to Earth's surface.

Plastic Pollution

Greenpeace claims that about 95% of plastics used in U.S. households are not being recycled and wind up in landfills. The environmental advocacy group says it is not entirely due to the lack of recycling efforts, but that only a few types of plastic are actually recyclable.

The sorting and collection of plastic items deposited in bins is also problematic, according to Greenpeace. It says a significant portion of the debris is contaminated with toxic materials. Because plastic containers and wraps are so cheap and easy to use, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates their global use and resulting waste could triple by 2060.