The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency have spotted a rare hole that has opened up in the ozone layer above the Arctic which is set to be the largest of its kind ever detected.

Record-size hole

Scientists said that this rare hole is the result of the unusually low temperatures in the atmosphere above the North Pole. The hole was tracked from the space and the ground over the past few days but scientists claim that the reduction of ozone concentrations has begun early in 2020. By the beginning of April, the hole has already reached 1 million square kilometers in size.

It is not expected to pose any danger to humans unless it moves further in the south over populated areas, like the southern Greenland, where people would be at increased risk of getting a sunburn. But with the current trends, the hole is expected to disappear in a few weeks.

Depletion in ozone

Vincent-Henri Peuch, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said that the hole is a geophysical curiosity. Together with his team, they have monitored the unique dynamic conditions that drive the process of chemical depletion of the ozone layer.

Lower temperatures and a more stable vortex than usual over the Arctic has triggered the formation of polar stratospheric clouds and the catalytic damage on the ozone layer. The depletion of the ozone is no surprise in and of itself since the North and South poles lose ozone every year.

Over the Antarctic, the extremely low temperature has also caused big holes to form during winter that can reach a size of 20 to 25 million square kilometers and lasts for around 3 to 4 months. This year, however, the Arctic's hole is extremely unusual for the area as temperatures there do not usually drop as low as Antarctica's temperature which is why scientists seldom observe a hole in the Arctic region.

What shock scientists the most is the scale of this hole which is the biggest ever that was recorded in history.

Not related to COVID-19

Despite the reports of COVID-19 shutdowns that have drastically cut air pollution in different countries and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the hole is not related to it. Scientists say that it is too early to say that hole is caused by either part of normal stratospheric weather variability or because of the climate crisis.

According to Peuch, there are no evidences that directly linked the climate crisis to the unusually stable Arctic polar vortex conditions. As temperatures in the region are already increasing, it is expected that the depletion of ozone will also slow down and the hole will start to recede as polar air mixes with ozone-rich air from lower latitudes. It was 2011 when the same phenomenon was observed.

Peuch also added that new sources of ozone-depleting chemicals were also not a factor in the hole observed in the Arctic. It is however a reminder that observations from the space and the ground are crucial to prevent a situation where chemicals such as chlorine and bromine levels in the stratosphere could increase again.

For more updates, like the Science Times page on Facebook or Sign up for our newsletter.