The 2023 Ozone Hole has reached its maximum size and ranks as the 16th largest, according to annual satellite and balloon-based measurements made by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The hole ranked as the 12th largest single-day ozone hole since 1979 on record with a size of 10 million square miles, or 26 million square kilometres.
The ozone hole reached this maximum size on September 21, as calculated by the NASA Ozone Watch team, the US space agency said.
However, when averaged from September 7 to October 13 this year the hole stands as the 16th largest.
From September 7 to October 13, the peak of the ozone depletion season, the hole averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometres), approximately the size of North America, making it the 16th largest over this period, NASA said in a release.
However, this year’s ozone hole was rather modest. Paul Newman, leader of NASA’s ozone research team and chief scientist for Earth sciences at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, stated that the chlorofluorocarbons levels were going down. Furthermore, favourable Antarctic stratospheric weather made ozone levels somewhat better.
“Declining levels of human-produced chlorine compounds, along with help from active Antarctic stratospheric weather slightly improved ozone levels this year,” Newman said.
The ozone layer works as the earth’s natural sunscreen, protecting us from the damaging UV rays from the Sun. This implies that thinning of the ozone layer means less protection from UV rays, which can lead to sunburns, cataracts, and skin cancer in human beings.
Notably, each September, the ozone layer reduces in thickness to form the “hole” over Antarctica. However, this does not mean that the ozone is not there; this term simply indicates that ozone concentrations in this region are way below 220 Dobson Units, a threshold of ozone concentration in a given region, according to NASA.
The depletion of Antarctic ozone occurs when human-made chemicals containing chlorine and bromine reach the stratosphere. The chemicals break down and produce chlorine and bromine that trigger reactions resulting in damage to the ozone molecules.
The NASA and NOAA researchers monitor the layer across Antarctica and globally using the instruments on NASA’s Aura, NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP, and NOAA-20 satellites. One of these tools such as Aura’s Microwave Limb Sounder estimates the levels of chlorine that harm ozone molecules.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
'Lord Jagannath devotee of PM Modi', says Sambit Patra; Opposition lashes out at BJP
May 21, 2024 8:56 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Phase 5 voting concludes with over 57% voter turnout, experts weigh in on key battles
May 20, 2024 11:07 PM
BJP holds meeting in Delhi as polling underway for 5th phase
May 20, 2024 4:21 PM
UP Police arrests man after viral videos shows him voting multiple times
May 20, 2024 2:18 PM