Concentrations of ozone-damaging aluminum oxides in Earth's atmosphere could increase by 650% in the coming decades due to a rise in the number of defunct satellites burning up during reentry, a first-of-a-kind study has found. And, as satellite megaconstellations continue to pique the interests of private companies, this could be pretty bad news for our planet's protective shield known as the ozone layer.
The authors of the study say rising concentrations of satellite-induced pollutants could cause "potentially significant" ozone depletion and thus thwart the ozone layer's slow and steady recovery.
