![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090511203540im_/http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov//56/ozone_destruct_thumb.jpg)
Images & Animations
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Credit
Robert Simmon, NASA GSFC
Once in the stratosphere, the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) molecules are no longer shielded from ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer. Bombarded by the Sun's ultraviolet energy, CFC molecules break up and release their chlorine atoms. The free chlorine atoms then can react with ozone molecules, taking one oxygen atom to form chlorine monoxide and leaving an ordinary oxygen molecule.
Metadata
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Sensor
No Satellite/ No Data -
Visualization Date
1999-07-30