• Strong ozone depletion expected over Arctic in the coming weeks

    POLSTRAC campaign initiated by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was actively engaged in measurements in Arctic since the end of 2015. The research team has observed vertically extended polar stratospheric clouds, in unusually low regions of the…

  • Ozone hole behind colorful nacreous clouds over the UK and Ireland

    Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are appearing over the United Kingdom and Ireland since January 31, 2016. An extremely rare occurrence for this area, usually restricted to the Arctic Circle, has been photographed by numerous skywatchers. According to experts, the…

  • Nacreous clouds appear around the Arctic Circle

    Sky watchers are observing an outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds or PSCs around the Arctic Circle, SpaceWeather reports. Unlike normal grey-white clouds, which hug Earth's surface at altitudes of only 5 to 10 km (3.1 – 6.2 miles), PSCs float through the…

  • Red alert for smog pollution issued in Beijing, China

    A red alert for smog pollution was issued for in Beijing, China on December 8, 2015. The warning was put in effect in order to "protect public health and reduce levels of heavy air pollution", according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection…

  • The 2015 ozone hole over Antarctic larger than usual and late

    The annual Antarctic ozone hole was larger than usual this year and formed later than in recent years, according to the scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ozone hole reached its maximum on October 2, 2015,…

  • Large dust storm clouds Phoenix, Arizona

    A large dust storm swept the US Arizona's capital of Phoenix on October 16, 2015, media reports. The cloud system was hovering about 1 500 m (4 921 feet) above the ground, packing winds of 100 km/h (62 mph) and was followed by a strong thunderstorm. Video…