We have been hearing for years about the hole in the ozone layer. There have been reports recently that the hole is small, but the European Atmospheric Monitoring Service Copernicus has now released new information.
In 2019 the ozone hole will be about 11 million square meters. At present it is 14 million square meters.
The ozone layer has grown significantly over the past week
The ozone layer is located at an altitude of 20 to 30 km, belonging to the upper layers of the atmosphere. Ozone, an unstable gas, accumulates in this region and can detect concentrations up to about 10 ppm (parts per million).
This layer absorbs a significant portion of the ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's atmosphere and is extremely harmful to all kinds of life. Absence of this can lead to a significant increase in the number of skin cancers, along with other cancer effects.
The size of the hole in the ozone layer in the southern hemisphere is larger than the continent of Antarctica, which covers an area of about 14 million square kilometers, it announced today the European service Copernicus, which monitors the atmosphere.
The ozone hole has grown significantly over the past week, and is now 75% larger than the ozone hole at this time in 1979.
This year, the ozone hole was created as expected at the start of the season. It’s very similar to previous years, which was no exception in September, but it turned out to be one of the biggest on our records at the end of the season.
According to scientists' estimates, the hole will form differently than usual this year.
The vortex is very stable and the stratospheric temperature is lower than last year. We face the largest and deepest ozone hole
Copernicus Director, Vincent-Henry Peugeot
The monitoring system relies on computer modeling with satellite imagery, such as weather forecasts, to obtain a detailed three-dimensional image of the ozone hole.
The hole in the ozone layer was discovered in 1985. In 1987 the Montreal Protocol was signed between 196 countries and the European Union. The aim is to gradually eliminate the production of about a hundred substances that cause ozone depletion.
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