Is the Antarctic ozone hole still there?
Antarctic ozone hole is 13th largest on record and expected to persist into November. The 2021 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum area on October 7 and ranks 13th largest since 1979, scientists from NOAA and NASA reported today.
Did the ozone hole over Antarctica close in 2020?
Scientists from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) are ending 2021 with an announcement worth celebrating: the 2021 Antarctic ozone hole has finally closed. This ozone hole was once larger than Antarctica and reached its maximum size on October 7th.
What happened to the Antarctic ozone hole?
Today, the ozone hole still exists, forming every year over Antarctica in the spring. It closes up again over the summer as stratospheric air from lower latitudes is mixed in, patching it up until the following spring when the cycle begins again.
How big was the ozone hole in 2013?
8.1 million square miles
The average size of the hole in September–October 2013 was 21.0 million square kilometers (8.1 million square miles). The average size since the mid 1990s is 22.5 million square kilometers (8.7 million square miles).
Is the ozone hole causing climate change?
Ozone depletion and climate change are linked in a number of ways, but ozone depletion is not a major cause of climate change. Atmospheric ozone has two effects on the temperature balance of the Earth. It absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation, which heats the stratosphere.
What caused hole in ozone layer?
The ozone layer, which lies high in the atmosphere, shields us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that come from the Sun. Human activities effectively punched a hole in it, through the use of gases like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in spray cans and refrigerants, which break down ozone molecules in the upper atmosphere.
How large is the ozone hole now?
9.6 million square miles
This year, NASA satellite observations determined the ozone hole reached a maximum of 24.8 million square kilometers (9.6 million square miles)—roughly the size of North America—before beginning to shrink in mid-October.