The ozone hole The discovery by the British Antarctic Survey of
the Antarctic ozone hole provided an early warning of the
dangerous thinning of the ozone layer worldwide, and spurred
international efforts to curb the production of CFCs. If the
provisions of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer of 1987 are revised, strengthened and followed,
there is a reasonable prospect that the Antarctic ozone hole
will permanently repair itself, but not before the next
appearance of Halley's comet (in the year 2061)! Earth's past
climate The ice sheet preserves not only the traces of heavy
metals and organic toxins carried into the Antarctic from the
inhabited parts of the world but also - frozen into bubbles -
samples of previous atmospheres over the past 500,000 years. The
bubbles carry information about the climate of the past. The
delicate ecosystem In the Southern Ocean around the continent
increasing levels of fishing threaten the stability of the
marine ecosystem. Rising tourist numbers i