The size of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is currently one of the largest in history
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Satellite data show that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica this year is one of the largest ever seen.
Live Science writes about it.
Experts believe that the hole could have caused the eruption of the Tonga volcano in 2022.
The ozone layer is a layer of the atmosphere at an altitude of 15 to 40 km above the surface. Within its limits, the concentration of ozone molecules is 10 times higher than near the Earth’s surface.
| Photo: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data (2023)/processed by CAMS/ECMWF |
This gap helps block harmful levels of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In the 20th century scientists found out that large holes appear in it above the polar regions of our planet.
They also found that chlorofluorocarbons, a common chemical used in aerosol cans, packaging materials and refrigerators, also destroy ozone levels. Its use was banned in 1989.
But holes still form over the polar regions during the winter months of each hemisphere. This occurs when cold air creates polar stratospheric clouds, which continue to deplete ozone over the poles.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), on September 16 this year, the hole reached its maximum – 26 million square meters. km, the equivalent of North America.
The 2023 ozone hole started early and grew rapidly from mid-August, Antje Innes, a researcher at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said in a statement.
The phenomenon is explained by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano with an equivalent force of more than 100 Hiroshima bombs.
A group of scientists warned about this back in 2022. Scientists said that more than 50 million tons of water released into the upper atmosphere could destabilize the ozone layer.
The researchers hypothesized that water vapor could further destroy ozone after breaking up into ions, or charged molecules, that react with ozone like freons.
Inness agreed with the scientists, but noted that further research is needed to confirm this connection.
Ozone holes over the poles show natural variability. In 2019, the hole in Antractide shrank to its smallest size, but from 2020 to 2022, it increased in size. Ukrainian polar explorers regularly monitor these changes.
Despite this year’s record temperatures and changes, the ESA believes there is no reason to panic.
Read also: “The climate crisis has begun”: the UN commented on the temperature records in the summer
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