Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast Sep 16, 2025

Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast

What do invisible gases, vintage hairspray and satellites have in common? They all played a role in one of the greatest environmental comebacks in history. Seen from 362 kilometres above, the Gulf Coast glows like a constellation—clusters of light scattered across the dark. But what truly makes this view possible can"t be seen: the ozone layer, silently shielding everything below from the sun"s ultraviolet rays. By the 1980s, that shield was thinning fast—damaged by chemicals once used in refrigeration and aerosol products. The solution? A global pact. The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, led to a swift phase-out of ozone-depleting substances. Today, satellites show that the hole over Antarctica is shrinking. Scientists believe it could be fully healed by mid-century.

© Stocktrek Images/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 16, 2023Splügen Pass, Switzerland
Sep 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 29, 2024Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
Nov 25, 2025Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
May 17, 2026Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, United States
Sep 24, 2024Skaftafell, Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
Jan 2, 2024Jaswant Thada and Mehrangarh Fort, India
Feb 4, 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Sep 25, 2024Giant sequoias, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Nov 20, 2023Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, South Wales
Apr 5, 2024The Bahamas
Mar 28, 2024Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
Aug 6, 2025Ring-tailed lemur
Jun 5, 2025Fumacinha Waterfall, Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
Feb 14, 2024Red-crowned crane
Oct 23, 2025Snow leopards, India
Mar 18, 2025Red Rocks, Sedona, Arizona, United States
May 28, 2026Old city wall of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, South Korea
Aug 12, 2026A group of elephants, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Aug 4, 2026Florida burrowing owlet, Cape Coral, Florida, United States
May 30, 2026Plains zebra foal in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Feb 1, 2026Colourful house in Olinda, Brazil
May 12, 2024Guanaco mother and baby
Sep 11, 2023Sunrise at a vineyard in Bordeaux, France
Mar 10, 2025Lion, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Aug 15, 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam
Mar 31, 2024A great egret in the Pantanal
Jan 24, 2024Diamond Beach, Iceland
Nov 10, 2024Caribbean flamingos, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Sep 26, 2024Blue-throated toucanet, Costa Rica
Sep 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut, USA