By Deutsche Welle
11 Oct 2023, 08:51 AM EDT
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica increased this year and became one of the largest ever recordedaccording to measurements from the Sentinel 5P satellite of the European Copernicus system.
The hole reached a size of 26 million square kilometers on September 16, approximately three times the surface of Brazil, indicated a statement from the European Space Agency (ESA).
Seasonal fluctuations
The note recalls that the ozone layer hole fluctuates with the seasons, so that it increases starting in August to reach its annual maximum between mid-September and mid-October.
Temperature changes in the stratosphere in the southern hemisphere cause the level of the ozone layer to return to normal towards the end of December.
The ozone hole had been slowly recovering in recent years after the Montreal Protocol, signed 36 years ago, agreed to gradually ban the international use of chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) and, later, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Early and rapid growth
Antje Inness, senior scientist at the Copernicus System, said: “Our operational forecasting and monitoring service shows that the ozone hole has grown rapidly since mid-August. “It reached a size of more than 26 million square kilometers on September 16, making it one of the largest ozone holes ever recorded.”
Although sufficient data is lacking to determine the reasons behind current ozone concentrations, some researchers speculate that this year’s unusual patterns could be associated with the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in January 2022.
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