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Rediff.com News Antarctic ozone hole expands to record levels: NASA

Antarctic ozone hole expands to record levels:

NASA
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October 30, 2015 17:18 IST

The ozone hole over Antarctica

expanded this month to one of the
largest sizes on record due to
unusually cold temperatures in the
stratosphere, which could lead to
more harmful ultraviolet rays
reaching the Earth, according to
NASA.
The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole area

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was larger and formed later than in

recent years, reaching a peak of 28.2
million square kilometres, an area
larger than North America, said
scientists from NASA and the

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration.
The large size of this year's ozone
hole will likely result in increases of harmful ultraviolet rays at Earth's surface, particularly in

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Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere in the coming months, researchers said.
The hole reached its peak on October 2 and remained large and set many area daily records
throughout. Unusually cold temperature and weak dynamics in the Antarctic stratosphere this
year resulted in this larger ozone hole.

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In comparison, last year the ozone hole peaked at 24.1 million square kilometres on September
11. Compared to the 1991-2014 period, the 2015 ozone hole average area was the fourth largest.
"While the current ozone hole is larger than in recent years, the area occupied by this year's
hole is consistent with our understanding of ozone depletion chemistry and consistent with
colder than average weather conditions in Earth's stratosphere, which help drive ozone
depletion," said Paul A Newman, chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Centre in the US.

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The Antarctic ozone hole forms and expands during the Southern Hemisphere spring (August
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and September) because of the high levels of chemically active forms of chlorine and bromine
in the stratosphere.
These chlorine- and bromine-containing molecules are largely derived from human-made
chemicals that steadily increased in Earth's atmosphere up through the early 1990s.

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"This year, our balloon-borne instruments measured nearly 100 per cent ozone depletion in
the layer above South Pole Station, Antarctica, that was 14 to 19 kilometres above Earth's
surface," said Bryan Johnson, a researcher at NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory in
US.
"During September we typically see a rapid ozone decline, ending with about 95 per cent

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depletion in that layer by October 1. This year the depletion held on an extra two weeks
resulting in nearly 100 per cent depletion by October 15," said Johnson.
The ozone layer helps shield Earth from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can
cause skin cancer, cataracts, and suppress immune systems, as well as damage plants.
Ozone depletion is primarily caused by human-made compounds that release chlorine and

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bromine gases in the stratosphere.

The ozone hole is expected to recover back to 1980 levels in approximately 2070.

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Related News: NASA, Earth Sciences, Bryan Johnson, NOAA, Earth System Research Laboratory

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