According to the European Space Agency (ESA from the initials of the European Space Agency), the ozone hole over Antarctica reached 10 millions square miles in area on September 16, 2023, making it one of the largest seasonal holes ever observed.
Space.com he says:
One possible reason for the higher than normal growth is volcanism explosion of Hunga Tonga in January 2022, which introduced huge amounts of water vapor into the air.
"Water vapor could have led to increased formation of polar stratospheric clouds, where chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can react and accelerate ozone depletion," says Inness.
However, despite the large seasonal growth this year, the ozone hole is still shrinking in size overall.
"Based on the Montreal Protocol and the reduction of anthropogenic ozone-depleting substances, scientists currently predict that the global ozone layer will return to its normal state around 2050," said Claus Zehner, Director Missionof ESA for Copernicus Sentinel-5P.
