NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have announced that in 2024, the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica will be at its largest, ranking seventh smallest since recovery began in 1992. The ozone hole is now smaller, even at its maximum extent, than it has been in the past five years, since the smaller hole in 2019.
This year, the monthly average size of the ozone layer hole is about 20 million square kilometers, and on September 28, the size of this hole reached its peak with 22.4 million square kilometers. At its worst, in 2000, the ozone hole was 50% larger and severely depleted.
Paul Newman“The size of the ozone hole above Antarctica will be smaller in 2024 than it was in the early 2000s,” said NASA’s Ozone Research Team Lead and Senior Earth Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in a statement. “This gradual improvement shows that international efforts to limit ozone-depleting chemicals have been effective.”
The ozone layer, which consists of triatomic oxygen molecules (O3), plays a vital role in absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet rays; Harmful rays that can seriously harm human health and ecosystems.
The ozone layer is still far from complete recovery
In the 1970s, scientists noticed a decrease in ozone concentration (measured in Dobson units) and found that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were responsible for this destruction. By the mid-1980s, large portions of the Antarctic stratosphere were nearly depleted of ozone, particularly in early October each year. This year, the ozone concentration in this area reached 107 Dobson units. This amount is only slightly more than half of what it was in 1979.
Stephen Montescasenior scientist at the Global Monitoring Laboratory at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains: “For 2024, the severity of the ozone hole is below average compared to most years of the last three decades. But the ozone layer is still far from a complete recovery.”
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Brian Johnsona chemist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, adds: “Right now, ozone concentrations are much lower than 225 Dobson units; The level that was common in 1979. “We still have a long way to go before atmospheric ozone returns to pre-CFC pollution levels.”
According to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the ozone hole is expected to close completely by 2066, and ozone levels worldwide will return to pre-1980s levels by 2040. This great achievement has been achieved thanks to the Montreal Treaty; An agreement that banned the use of harmful chemicals that deplete the ozone layer. This treaty is one of the few international treaties accepted by all the countries of the world and it shows how effective global cooperation can be in solving environmental crises.
