Recent research challenges the notion that the ozone layer hole over the Antarctic is recovering, suggesting it might be expanding. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the study by New Zealand researchers indicates a 26% reduction in ozone levels since 2004 at the core of the Antarctic hole during springtime. The researchers used satellite instruments to analyze ozone behavior between September and November, identifying six of the past nine years with significantly low ozone amounts and large ozone holes.
The study attributes the ozone depletion to changes in the Antarctic polar vortex, characterized by a vast swirl of low pressure and cold air above the South Pole. Additionally, airborne particles from wildfires and volcanoes, along with variations in the solar cycle, are cited as contributing factors. The researchers emphasize that not only has the hole maintained a large area, but it has also deepened, indicating reduced ozone levels throughout most of the Antarctic spring.
Lead author Hannah Kessenich highlights the particularly prolonged ozone holes observed during 2020-2022, fitting into the overall pattern of size and depth during October.
The ozone layer plays a crucial role in shielding Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. In 1987, countries joined forces to address the depletion issue, leading to the phasing out or banning of over 100 ozone-depleting chemicals.
This new report contradicts an earlier United Nations report suggesting that the ozone layer would be fully healed within two decades. The decline in chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), once prevalent in aerosols and refrigerators, was considered a positive sign. According to the earlier report, the ozone layer would return to 1980 levels globally by 2040, by 2045 over the Arctic, and by 2066 over the Antarctic. However, the recent study challenges this optimistic view, pointing to ongoing ozone depletion in the Antarctic.
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