According to the World Meteorological Organization, the ozone layer hole over Antarctica is one of the largest and deepest in the past 15 years. The hole peaked at 24 million square kilometers (approximately 9.3 million square miles).
Where is the largest ozone hole located?
The annual Antarctic ozone hole – the 12th-largest on record – reached its peak size for 2020 on September 20, at about 9.6 million square miles (24.8 million square km), roughly three times the area of the continental United States, Observations revealed the nearly complete elimination of ozone in a 4-mile-high (6-km- …
Where is the biggest ozone hole located Why is it there?
The annually occurring ozone hole over the Antarctic had rapidly grown from mid-August and peaked at around 24 million square kilometres — one of the largest so far — in early October 2020. The expansion of the hole was driven by a strong, stable and cold polar vortex and very cold temperatures in the stratosphere.
Where is the ozone hole most serious?
The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over Antarctica. Ozone depletion is a major environmental problem because it increases the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches Earth’s surface, which increases the rate of skin cancer, eye cataracts, and genetic and immune system damage.
Where is the hole in the ozone layer 2020?
The 2020 Antarctic ozone hole grew rapidly from mid-August and peaked at around 24.8 million square kilometres on 20 September 2020, spreading over most of the Antarctic continent. It was the longest-lasting and one of the largest and deepest holes since the ozone layer monitoring began 40 years ago.
Is the ozone healing 2020?
An “unprecedented” ozone depletion in the northern hemisphere has healed, but unlikely due to the impacts of worldwide coronavirus lockdowns, scientists say. … It’s now back to normal again … the ozone hole has closed,” she said.
Is our ozone layer recovering 2020?
Scientists are seeing signs that the 2020 ozone hole now seems to have reached its maximum extent. … The Montreal Protocol bans emissions of ozone depleting chemicals. Since the ban on halocarbons, the ozone layer has slowly been recovering; the data clearly show a trend in decreasing area of the ozone hole.
Can we rebuild the ozone layer?
The ozone layer is steadily repairing itself following a drastic global reduction in the use of ozone-depleting substances, the UN’s environmental agency has found. The world’s ozone layer is on track to be completely healed by the 2060s, according to modelling by the UN’s environmental agency (UNEP).
Does the ozone layer repair itself?
An April 27 India Times article says that an uncommonly large hole in the ozone layer appeared above the Arctic and healed itself in April. Scientists at the Copernicus’ Atmospheric Monitoring Service tracking the “rather unusual” ozone hole announced April 23 on Twitter that it had healed.
How big is the ozone hole now?
On September 20, 2020, the annual ozone hole reached its peak area at 24.8 million square kilometers (9.6 million square miles), roughly three times the size of the continental United States.
Who discovered the ozone hole?
In the mid-1980s, scientists Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin opened the world’s eyes to a new phenomenon: “unanticipated and large decreases in stratospheric ozone levels over the Antarctic stations of Halley and Faraday,” which became known as the Antarctic ozone hole, writes Susan Solomon, the EAPS …
Is there a hole in the ozone layer above Australia?
Firstly, the ozone layer in the mid-latitude (e.g. over Australia) is thinned, leading to more UV radiation reaching the earth. … Secondly, the ozone layer over the Antarctic, and to a lesser extent the Arctic, is dramatically thinned in spring, leading to an ‘ozone hole’.
What destroys the ozone layer?
II. Ozone Depletion. When chlorine and bromine atoms come into contact with ozone in the stratosphere, they destroy ozone molecules. One chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere.
How big was the ozone hole in 1985?
The maximum depth of the hole that year was 194 Dobson Units (DU)—not far below the previous historical low. For several years, the minimum concentrations stayed in the 190s, but then the minimums rapidly grew deeper: 173 DU in 1982, 154 in 1983, 124 in 1985.
Is the hole in the ozone layer getting smaller 2020?
“The unprecedented 2020 Northern Hemisphere ozone hole has come to an end,” CAMS researchers tweeted on April 23. … While a large ozone hole opens every autumn over the South Pole, the conditions that allow these holes to form are much rarer in the Northern Hemisphere, the ESA researchers said.