Antarctic's Ozone hole grows 13th largest since 1979, almost big as North America

As climate change continues to worsen the planet's condition, the Antarctic ozone hole in 2021 has expanded to its maximum area and now ranks the 13th-largest since 1979. Observed by experts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), they accredited this expansion to a colder than usual Southern Hemisphere winter that led to a deep and larger-than-average ozone hole. As per the scientists, this gaping hole will persist for the entirety of this month and likely till November. 

The Ozone crisis

What is called the 'ozone hole' is nothing but the thinning of Earth's ozone layer, the one which is responsible for protecting against the harmful solar rays. Meanwhile, the hole that is observed above Antarctica begins every September when chemically active forms of chlorine and bromine derived from human-produced compounds are released during reactions on high-altitude polar clouds. NASA explains that it is the reactions between chlorine and bromine, fuelled by the rising sun in the Antarctic at the end of winter, which causes the ozone thinning. 

Talking about the freshest ozone puncture, Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center said,

"This is a large ozone hole because of the colder than average 2021 stratospheric conditions, and without a Montreal Protocol, it would have been much larger."

Cementing Newman's claims, NASA satellites revealed that the ozone hole had expanded to a massive 24.8 million square kilometres area, in mid-October, close to the size of North America.

Earlier on World Ozone Day on September 16, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service had revealed that the Ozone hole had grown bigger than Antarctica, making it the widest recorded one in the season since 1979. With the frequently thinning and often recovering ozone layer, experts like Copernicus' director Vincent-Henri Peuch and Newman himself believe that steps like the Montreal Protocol will be a game-changer in addressing the crisis.

What is the Montreal Protocol?

It is a global agreement that aims to eliminate or control the total global production and consumption of substances that deplete the ozone layer. In a statement by the UN, the body highlighted the accord's contribution in slowing down climate change and helping to boost energy efficiency in the cooling sector, which contributes to food security. Besides, the Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, said that global cooperation is needed to address the climate crisis.

(Image: NASA)