Antarctic Ozone Hole Nears 1980 Levels, Marking Notable Recovery
Geneva – The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk to it’s smallest size since 2019, scientists announced today, a result of global efforts to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals. The recovery offers renewed hope for the full restoration of the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
The Montreal Protocol, an international agreement signed in 1987, successfully curbed the production and consumption of substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) once widely used in refrigerants and aerosols. A study published in Nature Climate Change last year confirmed these actions successfully reduced emissions and caused the peak impact of ozone-depleting gases to occur five years earlier than initially projected. The World Meteorological organization estimates the ban will allow the ozone layer over Antarctica, where it is thinnest, to recover to 1980 levels by 2066.
The ozone layer’s depletion allows increased levels of UV radiation to reach the Earth’s surface, posing risks to human health – including increased rates of skin cancer and cataracts – and damaging crops. The recent positive trend demonstrates the power of international cooperation in addressing global environmental challenges.
Scientists are investigating factors contributing to unusually large and persistent ozone holes observed between 2020 and 2023. The eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano in 2022, which released significant amounts of ash and water vapor into the stratosphere, is suspected to have played a substantial role in the size of the 2023 ozone hole.
According to Cams, without the successful phasing out of pollutants through international agreements, the decline in global stratospheric ozone coudl have reached “catastrophic levels.”
“This progress should be celebrated as a timely reminder of what can be achieved when the international community works together to address global environmental challenges,” said Vincent-Henri Rouil, of Cams.
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently ranked the 2024 ozone hole as the fifth smallest since 1992. Paul Newman, leader of the ozone research team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, noted the changes are aligning with predictions.
“They’re forming later in the season and breaking up earlier,” Newman said. “But we still have a long way to go before it recovers to 1980s levels.”
