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 225 miles 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, 2018Mexico celebrates its Independence Day
Sep 16, 2019The mighty, mighty mushroom
Sep 16, 2020It s Independence Day in Mexico
Sep 16, 2021A cry for independence
Sep 16, 2022Puma in Patagonia
Sep 16, 2023Oktoberfest begins
Sep 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 29, 2021A path into history
Mar 18, 2025Rock formations at Sedona, Arizona
Nov 11, 2022Veterans Day
Feb 22, 2020It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
Jul 15, 2021A river runs through rice fields
Apr 12, 2022International Day of Human Space Flight
Jul 25, 2022National Merry-Go-Round Day
Aug 26, 2018From pirate port to nature preserve
Jul 10, 2021Celestial Spain
Nov 19, 2018A narrow passage
Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
Sep 6, 2019The old guard at Old San Juan
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Jan 24, 2024Diamond Beach, Iceland
Sep 4, 2025Grizzly bears in Alaska for National Wildlife Day
May 13, 2019In praise of bogs, swamps, and marshes
Nov 14, 2021First Cliff Walk
Sep 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut
Dec 27, 2025Plate ice along Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Minnesota
Jun 5, 2021Bird s-eye view on World Environment Day
Oct 20, 2022International Sloth Day
Apr 4, 2025National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
Jul 21, 2025Coral Reef Awareness Week
Apr 3, 2018The village of Castelluccio above the Piano Grande, Umbria, Italy
Oct 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
Jun 9, 2022Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland
Jan 7, 2022Nazaré Lighthouse
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park anniversary
Jun 3, 2022World Bicycle Day