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Antarctic Ozone Hole Shrinks 30 Percent

Posted by kdawson on from the but-don't-spray-cfc's-in-celebration dept.

polar red sends us news of a story that many outlets have picked up from a European Space Agency press release: the Antarctic ozone hole is 30% smaller than it was during the previous record year. It's still about the size of North America. "Scientists say this year's smaller hole... is due to natural variations in temperature and atmospheric dynamics... and is not indicative of a long-term trend. 'Although the hole is somewhat smaller than usual, we cannot conclude from this that the ozone layer is recovering already,' [one researcher said]."

13 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. summary... by tomstdenis · · Score: 4, Funny

    we cannot conclude from this that the ozone layer is recovering already

    In short, EVERYBODY PANIC and give us grant monies!

    Since I don't have kids, and probably won't, I say screw the ozone. I'm all for living indoors anyways.

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    1. Re:summary... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm too embarrassed to take my shirt off at the beach anyway, so it doesn't bother me much.

    2. Re:summary... by nine-times · · Score: 4, Funny

      In short, EVERYBODY PANIC and give us grant monies!Too late for me. As soon as I read, "Antarctic Ozone Hole Shrinks 30 Percent," I celebrated by emptying 20 cans of old hair spray that were filled with cloro-fluoro-carbons.

      Whoo-hooo! The environment is fixed! Time to buy that Hummer!

    3. Re:summary... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Funny

      I've always thought it interesting that ozone is considered essential in the upper atmosphere; yet is considered pollution at ground level.

      Yeah, how bizarre! Also weird is how hydrochloric acid is considered an essential component of etching silicon chips, yet at the same time is considered a bad thing to get in your eye. WTF is up with scientists?!

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      The enemies of Democracy are
  2. Re:Tell me something... by Iphtashu+Fitz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Because we're all still gonna die sooner or later...

  3. Re:global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My money's on somebody starting it off by randomly mentioning that they're not connected, there by ensuri... oh. Uh.

    Anyway, they are connected in a general "emissions by humans causing global environmental change" sort of way, but you're right, they're connected in the public consciousness for no real reason...

  4. Good! by Serhei · · Score: 4, Funny

    Smaller ozone hole = more penguins = bigger Linux market share!

    1. Re:Good! by LordEd · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not so fast. As a Microsoft partner, I am required to eat baby penguins for breakfast. More Penguins = more baby penguins = more Microsoft partners.

  5. Cold water! by Lucas123 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I told them to wash it in cold water, not hot!

  6. obligatory? by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    What? No goatse jokes on a "hole" story? I'm dissapointed. There's a hole in the trolling.

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    Table-ized A.I.
  7. Look. by yoprst · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is slashdot. The article is about Antarctica. Penguins live in Antarctica. And this is slashdot. Antarctica-penguins-slashdot. Slashdot-penguins-Antarctica. See why we're concerned?

  8. Re:Tell me something... by Experiment+626 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well..I'm just gunna go out on a limb here and guess that the consequences of the hole getting bigger are many orders of magnitude worse than the consequences of the hole getting smaller. But hey, that's just my guess.

    goatse.cx would tend to support your hypothesis.

  9. Re:Early Data Points by drew · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's because gravity pulls the bad stuff down to the bottom of the globe, where it all collects.

    Duh!

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