The POT pointed out this Tuesday that the hole that opens annually in the ozone layer above the South Pole of the Earth was relatively small in 2024compared to other years, and pointed out that this layer could be completely recovered in the year 2066.
Its statement noted that during the so-called peak of the ozone depletion season, from September 7 to October 13, the surface area of ​​the 2024 ozone hole ranked seventh as the smallest since its recovery began in 1992.
that year The Montreal Protocol began to enter into forcea landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals from the atmosphere.
Scientists describe the ozone “hole” as the area where ozone concentrations fall below the historic threshold of 220 Dobson units.
The hole reached its largest extent in one day on September 28, at 22.4 million square kilometers.
According to NASA, the improvement experienced is due to a combination of continued decreases in harmful chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), along with an “unexpected” infusion of ozone that was carried by air currents from northern Antarctica.
NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a time period dating back to 1979 to report on the classification of ozone holes, when scientists began tracking global ozone levels. Antarctica using satellite data.
Using that record, This year’s hole was ranked number 20 among the smallest in area.
The leader of NASA’s ozone layer research team, Paul Newman, considered that the gradual improvement recorded “shows that the international efforts to curb chemicals that destroy the ozone layer are working.
The American space agency recalled that the ozone-rich layer at the top of the atmosphere acts as a planetary sunscreen which helps protect us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Ozone-depleted regions allow more UV radiation to reach the Earth’s surface, resulting in an increase in cases of skin cancer and cataracts. Excessive exposure to ultraviolet light can also reduce agricultural production yields.