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This year ’s hole in the ozone level aboveAntarcticais one of the biggest ever seen , artificial satellite data show . Experts believe the huge spread in Earth ’s protective shield may have been because of the bam of Tonga ’s underwater volcano in early 2022 .
The ozone layer is a band ofEarth ’s ambiance between 9 and 18 miles ( 15 and 30 kilometers ) above the surface , where there is a gamy concentration ofozone — a case of oxygen speck with three molecule instead of two . The ozone bed blocks out harmful levels ofultraviolet ( UV ) raysfromthe sun , which is necessary for various living forms , including humans , to survive .
A simulation of this year’s ozone hole opening up above Antarctica, based on data collected by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite.
In 1985 , researchers discovered that large gob were appearing in the ozone stratum above Earth ’s polar realm , and that chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ) — a unwashed chemical used in aerosol potty , packing material and refrigerators at the meter — were reacting with the ozone in Earth ’s atmosphere , depleting ozone spirit level . This led to the international community banning CFCs in 1989 , allowing ozone levels to recover over time .
However , break in the ozone layer still form above the frigid region during each cerebral hemisphere ’s winter months when cold air creates opposite stratospheric cloud ( PSCs ) — extremely high clouds made from tiny ice vitreous silica thatsometimes appear to be rainbow - color — which further deplete the already set amount of ozone above the poles .
This class ’s ozone mess above Antarctica reached its maximum size on Sept. 16 when it peaked at a whopping 10 million square miles ( 26 million square kilometer ) , according to theEuropean Space Agency(ESA ) , which monitors the yap with the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite . That is around the same area as North America , three time the size of it of Brazil , the equivalent weight of Russia andChinacombined or around twice the size of it of Antarctica itself .
The ozone hole reached its maximum size on Sept. 16.
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" The 2023 ozone jam got off to an early offset and has produce apace since mid - August,“Antje Inness , a investigator at the European Center for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts , said in the statement . It is " one of the big ozone trap on record , " she add together .
The enormous gap could be attribute to the eruption of the Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai volcano , whichexploded with the force of more than 100 Hiroshima bombsand created thetallest - ever recorded eruption plumewhen it popped its top in January 2022 , research worker allege .
A satellite image of the Tonga eruption on Jan. 15, 2022.
In August 2022 , a disjoined group of scientistswarned that the volcanic eruption could destabilize the ozone layerafter more than50 million tons of water was launched into the upper air , which is tantamount to a 10 % increase in the amount of atmospheric water . The scientists suggest the water vapor could further destabilise the ozone stratum after damp down into ion , or charge atom , that react with ozone in a similar elbow room to CFCs . Water vapor also increases the fortune of PSCs forming in polar regions , according to ESA .
Related : Did the Tonga eruption cause this year ’s utmost heat ?
It now appear that those scientist were correct , Inness said . But further research is want to sustain the link between this year ’s ozone hole and the eructation , she added .
Rainbow-colored polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) photographed in the Arctic above the peak of Mount Jökultindur in Iceland on Jan. 25 this year.
The ozone holes above both poles expose raw variability that could also play a role in this year ’s jumbo cavum . In 2019 , Antarctica ’s ozone holeshrunk to its smallest size on track record , due to outstandingly warm temperature that prevented PSCs from forming . But from 2020 to 2022 , the ozone holegrew in size year on yearas cold temperature bring back .
— Massive ' proton aurora ' savage a 250 - nautical mile - spacious jam in Earth ’s ozone layer
— Ozone - destroying CFC could make late-21st - century comeback
— North Pole ’s largest - ever ozone hole finally closes
This year’sEl Niño eventmay also have played a small role in altering temperature around the poles , but this relationship is unclear at present tense .
Although the current ozone hole is one of the largest ever seen , there is no ground to panic , ESA research worker said . The orbit below the ozone pickle is for the most part uninhabited , and it should to the full close up again within a few calendar month . If CFC levels remain low , then the ozone level should be amply healed by 2050 , they added .
