According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service or CAMS of the European Union, the ozone hole that's forming every year over the South Pole is presently larger compared to the size of the entire Antarctica, the continent over which it is appearing.
An Earth.com report said scientists are now claiming that even if climate change is halted, there are slim chances of recovery for the ozone layer until the 2060s or even the 2070s.
The ozone layer positioned between nine and 22 miles on top of the Earth is critical for protecting the planet from ultraviolet radiation.
Essentially, the ozone is depleting and creating a hole over the Atlantic every spring, which generally lasts from August until October in the Southern Hemisphere.
Ozone Depletion
The said hole results from chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons or chlorine, carbon, and bromine migrating into the stratosphere and prompt catalytic responses during the Atlantic winter.
A similar CNN news report said it is also linked to the Antarctic polar vortex, a massive area of cyclonic air circulation in the upper atmosphere that moves around the Earth.
When temperatures in the stratosphere begin to wise towards the end of spring, ozone depletion typically slows, going back to normal levels by December.
According to Vincent-Henri Peuch, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, the ozone hole developed as anticipated at the beginning of the season this year.
It appears pretty akin to the 2020s, which was not exceptional until early this month, but then became one of the biggest and longest-lasting holes in the data record during the latter part of the season.
Hole, Larger Than Usual
Daily Mail, through MSN News, reported that now, explained the director, their predictions reveal that the hole this year developed into larger compared to usual. The vortex is somewhat stable, and the stratospheric temperatures are even lower than last year, and thus, it may continue growing slightly over the next two to three weeks.
Experts may have believed that the regulation of chemicals which are depleting the ozone layer following the Montreal protocol from 1987 prevented catastrophic consequences in the ozone hole's size this year is tremendously worrisome, making researchers ask themselves if enough is done to further prevent the Earth's deterioration.
More strong and sustained collective action is certainly needed to mitigate climate change and help in the recovery of the ozone layer.
The Ozone Hole This Year
CAMS continuously monitors Earth's ozone layer, following both the formation and evolution of the yearly chemical destruction of ozone that results in the creation of the hole.
CAMS researchers have been closely observing and monitoring the development of ozone holes this year over the South Pole, which, as has now become at some level, larger than Antarctica.
After a rather usual beginning, this year's ozone hole has considerably grown during the past two weeks and is now larger than 75 percent of ozone holes at that stage in the season since the late 1970s.
As one of the leading providers of ozone monitoring data in the world, CAMS collects huge amounts of information on the quality of air, greenhouses gases, as well as climate forcing from a great range of the sensor, that make this information available for users globally, through the Atmosphere Data Store.
CAMS data capture both "good ozone" that shields this planet from the hazardous impacts of ultraviolet or UV radiation and the ground-level "bad ozone" that can lead to respiratory problems.
Related report about the ozone hole larger than Antarctica is shown on Daily Weather's YouTube video below:
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Check out more news and information on the Ozone Layer on Science Times.
