A new study from Austria shows that ozonation, a more advanced form of waste water treatment, may be required to further reduce levels of trace pollutants, called micropollutants, in addition to longer treatment times.

According to new research, emissions of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) are now causing more damage to the ozone layer than those of any controlled ozone depleting substance and this is projected to remain the case for the rest of this century. The study suggests that limiting N2O emissions could help both the recovery of the ozone layer and tackle climate change.

20 years of policies in Europe to reduce emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone have successfully reduced short-term peak ozone levels, according to a new study conducted in central England. However, tougher targets are needed to further reduce average annual levels.

The policy implications of agricultural losses caused by high concentrations of ground level ozone have been highlighted by a recent study. The study modelled ozone impacts on 14 of the most important crops grown in the Greater Thessaloniki area of Greece. The results provide information about differences in scale of losses and economic impacts across the region which may be useful in designing agricultural subsidy schemes.

A study by Swedish scientists provides new insights into how climate change could affect future ozone concentrations in European countries. The findings of this study suggest that average ozone concentrations will increase more in Southern Europe than in more Northern and mountainous regions under the influence of climate change in the 21st century.

The results of a new study appear to support the view that the Montreal Protocol has been effective at protecting the ozone layer. Researchers modelled the impacts of the Protocol's phasing out of ozone depleting substances and found that they matched actual changes of global ozone over the last 50 years.

A new study has analysed trends in ozone levels in the European troposphere from 1996 to 2005. It indicated that average levels have been increasing despite reductions in pollutants that influence ozone formation. However, it also identified year-by-year variations, caused by climate and weather events, and suggested they could be masking the impact of emission reductions on long-term ozone trends.

For the first time, scientists have identified an ‘ozone hole’ over the Arctic, in addition to the well-known ozone hole over the Antarctic. Unusually persistent low temperatures over the arctic in early 2011 caused an unprecedented amount of chemical destruction of stratospheric ozone there. The authors warn that this is likely to happen again, although it is presently difficult to predict when this might be.

Planting trees in urban areas has been recognised as a cost-effective means of reducing air pollution for several major cities worldwide. In a new study, the impact of tree species diversity on levels of ozone pollution in Rome was assessed. The results suggest that different species of tree complement each other in providing this important ecosystem service.

Extending the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances to include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) could have important benefits for climate change action, say scientists in a recent analysis. HFCs are currently part of the Kyoto Protocol as greenhouse gases, but this protection will end with the expiry of Kyoto commitments this year.

Man-made pollutants may be responsible for the expansion of the tropics in the northern hemisphere, according to recent research. Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, formed from human activities, are heating the atmosphere and shifting major atmospheric circulation patterns further north, which could create drier conditions in the subtropics.

For the first time, researchers have quantified the link between heat waves, the removal of ozone from the atmosphere by vegetation, ground-level ozone concentrations and its impact on human health and ecosystems. They found that high ozone levels, enhanced by effectively ‘turning-off’ the loss of ozone to the vegetated surface, could have caused around 460 extra deaths during a UK heat wave in 2006. In contrast, the heat wave protected ecosystems from ozone damage as plants absorbed less ozone from the atmosphere.ozone damage as plants absorbed less ozone from the atmosphere.

A new study has estimated that nitrogen oxide (NOx) and harmful ozone levels will fall significantly in Europe, by 2030, if all current and planned air quality legislation is implemented. The co-beneficial effects of climate change policies could also reduce levels of these air pollutants by a further 40%.

Predicting the effects of changing levels of atmospheric gases on agricultural crops is vital to ensuring food security under global environmental change. As well as yield, impacts on the nutritional value of crops must be considered. A new study has now shown that increased ozone decreases yields and increases the proportion of protein in the grain. Conversly, elevated levels of CO2 boosts wheat yields, but it also reduces protein proportion in two different ways.

Climate change affects air pollution at a regional and local scale. A recent study has reassessed the latest findings and suggests that climate change will increase ozone concentrations by about 3 parts per billion (ppb) in central and western Europe in the year 2050 if emissions from human activities remain at present-day levels. However, if emissions increase, ozone concentrations could increase by 16 ppb for much of Europe.

Air pollution legislation has led to reduced ozone pollution in rural areas in western Mediterranean countries; however, levels in urban and suburban areas are still increasing, new research concludes. This suggests that ground-level ozone, linked to human health issues as well as environmental damage, has the potential to become a more significant air quality issue than previously believed, the researchers say.

‘Critical levels’ of ozone exposure for plants, above which significant adverse effects may occur, are currently calculated by examining ozone’s impacts on only a small number of species. However, researchers have now compared this measure with a new approach which examines all species in a group, and defines the critical levels as the concentration at which 5% of species are affected. These critical levels, which may be more suitable for semi-natural ecosystems, are stricter than current standards.

Four ozone-depleting gases, previously undetected in the atmosphere, have been found by new research. The work suggests that more than 74 000 tonnes of these human-made substances have been released since 1978, and that two are continuing to accumulate in the atmosphere. However, it is not yet known where they come from.

Better hydrogen production could be on the horizon thanks to a cheap new way of making a key component of electrolysers with a 3D printer, a new study suggests. This achievement could speed-up the development of electrolysis, a method of extracting hydrogen from water.

Ozone harms pollen viability of tomatoes, leading to reduced fruit weight, size and quality, a recent study has revealed. The researchers suggest the effect of ozone on pollen could be a useful way to rapidly test for pollution-induced stress on crop plants in risk assessments.

CULPEPER — The Virginia Department of Transportation has begun rehabilitating the Route 707 (Blair Park Road) bridge over Lickinghole Creek in...

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Yulu PR CEO and chief impact strategist Melissa Orozco shares what it's like to operate a PR agency as a B corp, as well as the latest industry news.

Video: Searching below the surface of Antarctica for the mysterious neutrino.

Japan is pledging $500 million to build a wall of frozen earth around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which has been leaking radioactive water.

Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is silent and still as fog creeps towards Mount Dutton.

An environmental group obtains emails that it says show "bias and complicity" in a government review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Faced with restaurant-clearing brawls, McDonalds is testing classical music on late-night patrons.

The 2011 tsunami that struck Japan released thousands of tons of ozone-destroying chemicals and greenhouse gases into the air.

Frozen remains found in Swiss glacier of couple who disappeared 75 years ago while hiking in the Alps.

The ozone hole above the Antarctic has hit its maximum extent for the year. Due to warm temperatures, the opening in the protective atmospheric layer was the se

Good news from Antarctica: The hole in the ozone layer is shrinking, new measurements reveal.

The worldwide ban on ozone-depleting chemicals stopped Arctic ozone from disappearing and forming an "ozone hole" similar in size to Antarctica's.

Four years in the making, the Discovery Channel/BBC co-production is a groundbreaking look at the Earth's polar regions.

The O'Neill Passive House, America's first passive house retrofit project, requires as much energy to operate as a standard hair dryer.

With a major summertime 'drinking holiday' just around the bend, make sure that you have a few libation-related odds and ends on hand for when your thirsty part

The story of how a day spent on a frozen Maine lake skating turned into a mildly viral video.

Markku Lahdesmaki's photo series 'Avanto' illuminates the Finnish hobby of ice swimming.

Physicist Kenneth Libbrecht, a leading expert on snowflake formation, is proud to have added scientific accuracy to Disney's hit animated musical.

Loopholes in the Montreal Protocol may need to be tightened, researchers say.

Seltzer that's low in alcohol and calories is all the rage.

As much as 66 metric tons of human excrement from visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park could soon be released into the pristine Alaskan coast.

The Organic Trade Association is hosting an online organic discussion and inviting everyone to participate in the #OrganicFestival.

Each year the Environmental Working Group ranks supermarket produce by its pesticide load, the worst are known as the Dirty Dozen.