Every September the ozone layer– the portion of the stratosphere that safeguards our planet from the Suns ultraviolet rays– thins to form an “ozone hole” above the South Pole. At NASA and NOAA, scientists detect and determine the growth and separation of the ozone hole with instruments aboard the Aura, Suomi NPP, and NOAA-20 satellites. On October 5, 2022, those satellites observed a single-day maximum ozone hole of 26.4 million square kilometers (10.2 million square miles), slightly bigger than last year. Ozone 101 is an explainer video detailing the principles of the Ozone Hole. When the polar sun increases, NOAA scientists likewise make measurements with a Dobson Spectrophotometer, an optical instrument that tapes the total quantity of ozone between the surface and the edge of area– understood as the total column ozone worth.
Every September the ozone layer– the part of the stratosphere that safeguards our planet from the Suns ultraviolet rays– thins to form an “ozone hole” above the South Pole. Each southern winter season, chemically active kinds of chlorine and bromine in the atmosphere, originated from human-produced substances, connect to high-altitude polar clouds. The reactive chlorine and bromine then initiate ozone-destroying responses as the Sun increases at the end of Antarcticas winter season.
At NASA and NOAA, researchers determine the development and identify and separation of the ozone hole with instruments aboard the Aura, Suomi NPP, and NOAA-20 satellites. On October 5, 2022, those satellites observed a single-day optimum ozone hole of 26.4 million square kilometers (10.2 million square miles), slightly bigger than in 2015. The map at the top of this page reveals the size and shape of the ozone hole over the South Pole on that day.
Ozone 101 is an explainer video describing the fundamentals of the Ozone Hole. Lets back up to the basics and comprehend what triggered the Ozone Hole, its impacts in the world, and what scientists predict will happen in future years. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center
When the polar sun increases, NOAA researchers also make measurements with a Dobson Spectrophotometer, an optical instrument that records the overall quantity of ozone in between the surface area and the edge of space– understood as the overall column ozone worth. Scientists recorded a most affordable total-column ozone value of 101 Dobson Units over the South Pole on October 3, 2022.
Some researchers were concerned about possible dizzying impacts from the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano. The 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption released substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide that magnified ozone layer depletion. However, no direct effects from Hunga Tonga have actually been discovered in the Antarctic stratospheric information.
View the current status of the ozone layer over the Antarctic with NASAs ozone watch.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, utilizing information thanks to NASA Ozone Watch and GEOS-5 data from the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA GSFC. Video by NASAs Goddard Space Flight.
This map shows the shapes and size of the ozone hole over the South Pole on October 5, 2022, when it reached its single-day maximum extent for the year. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens
The diminished area of the ozone layer over the South Pole was slightly smaller than in 2015 and usually continued the general shrinking trend of recent years.
In between September 7, 2022, and October 13, 2022, the yearly Antarctic ozone hole reached an average location of 23.2 million square kilometers (9.0 million square miles). This diminished area of the ozone layer over the South Pole was slightly smaller than the average for the exact same duration last year. This marks a general continuation of the general shrinking pattern of current years.
” Over time, steady development is being made, and the hole is getting smaller,” said Paul Newman, primary scientist for Earth sciences at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center. “We see some wavering as weather condition modifications and other aspects make the numbers wiggle slightly from day to day and week to week. In general, we see it decreasing through the past two decades. The elimination of ozone-depleting substances through the Montreal Protocol is diminishing the hole.”