Just as the sea ice around Antarctica grows and recedes each year, so does the ozone hole over the continent. And this year this hole has grown a lot.
Observations from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite show that the ozone hole reached an area of approximately 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers) on September 16, 2023, making it one of the largest seasonal holes. ever observed. The ozone hole’s true maximum occurred in 2000, when the area of the hole reached almost 11 million square miles (28.4 million square kilometers).
Ozone is a natural gas and is found in the stratosphere, a layer that protects us from the ultraviolet or ultraviolet rays of the sun. In 1985, a hole in the ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica and was later linked to humans’ use of carbon-depleting substances. We have since banned the use of these substances and monitored the size of the hole.
However, the ozone hole still waxes and wanes seasonally due to changes in temperature and wind conditions in the stratosphere, reaching its peak between mid-September and mid-October. “Our operational ozone monitoring and forecast service shows that the 2023 ozone hole started early and has been growing rapidly since mid-August,” Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service senior scientist Antje Inness said in a statement. said.
One possible reason for the above-normal growth is the eruption of the Hungah Tonga Volcano in January 2022, which released large amounts of water vapor into the air. “Water vapor may have led to increased formation of polar stratospheric clouds, where chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could react and accelerate ozone depletion,” Innes said.
But despite this year’s significant seasonal increase, the ozone hole is still shrinking overall. “Based on the Montreal Protocol and the reduction of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances, scientists predict that the global ozone layer will return to its normal state around 2050,” said Klaus Zenner, ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission leader. Source
Source: Port Altele
