The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is now larger than the North American continent. Based on data collected in October, scientist has announced that it now measures around 10 million square miles, which is only slightly smaller than the record set in 2006, when its size reached 10.42 million square miles across.
The ozone hole, or the ozone depletion phenomenon, is an area in the Earth's stratosphere where the gas that blocks the sun's ultraviolet radiation is depleted below a threshold, according to Weather.com. Recent legislations and regulations passed across the globe that ban and restrict the use of ozone-depleting chemicals have contributed to the improvement in the ozone situation. As a matter of fact, the hole over Antarctica is slowly repairing itself, according to Popular Science.
The size of the ozone hole, however, varies according to the season, and it tends to grow bigger during the spring and summer. It is currently summer in Antarctica. Scientists from the German Aerospace Center believe that this is caused by the concentration of chlorofluorocarbons, or nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing carbon, chlorine and fluorine, which increases because of lower temperatures at this time of the year, CBS News reported. This is thought to contribute in the unusually warm air currents that head towards the South Pole, which deplete the ozone. Watch the animation below showing how the ozone hole is formed.
The ozone layer protects humans from the adverse effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays such as skin cancer and cataracts. It is also believed to cause blindness in animals. Scientists expect the hole to completely repair itself by 2040 or later.
