Marking 40 years since the discovery of the ozone hole

News

Posted on Monday 19 May 2025

To mark the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the ozone hole, Professor Lucy Carpenter from University of York joined Jon Shanklin, who was part of the discovery team, and Professor John Pyle from University of Cambridge, to give a series of public lectures and a panel discussion, discussing the story of the discovery from initial observations, to international policy change, to the ozone hole today.

On 16 May 1985, three scientists from British Antarctic Survey published groundbreaking research that revealed a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica, sparking global action and leading to the historic Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. To mark the 40th anniversary of this landmark publication, Professor Lucy Carpenter joined other leading ozone researchers, Jon Shanklin, who was part of the discovery team, and John Pyle, to give a series of public lectures and a panel discussion which delved into the story of the discovery, from initial observations, to international policy change, to the ozone hole today.

Lucy is a co-chair of the Scientific Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol. At a time when we are confronting the challenges of a rapidly changing climate, this event at the Royal Geographical Society served as a powerful reminder of how science, when supported and acted upon, can drive global change.

Notes to editors:

This event was organised by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication in Nature of ground-breaking research (by BAS) that presented the discovery of the ozone hole on 16 May 1985. BAS Press Release.