According to a press release from a European Space Agency, a new hole has started to form in the ozone layer over the Arctic since the last month. In the past, the ozone layer around the North Pole was depleted several times, but this time, extreme weather and atmospheric conditions contribute to a much greater depletion than normal. Although ESA’s researchers expect it to end later this month, it is a still distressing environmental health update for the earth.
As far as reports are to be believed, the reason behind the Arctic ozone hole getting bigger than normal is atypically cold temperatures in the stratosphere. Such a situation helped in trapping polar vortex(a whirlpool of icy wind), which came up as a reason for depleting the ozone layer more than usual.
Besides this, the European Space Agency releases further indicated that the greater depletion than normal in the ozone layer, which has resulted in an unusually large hole, is comparatively smaller than the more well-known hole over Antarctica.
Diego Loyola, from the German Aerospace Center, talked about the concern and in one of the statements said, This year’s ozone hole across the Arctic is not larger than 1 million sq km. This is small compared to the Antarctic hole with a normal life of about 3-4 months that can reach 20-25 million sq km.
Recently, a study reported that the ozone layer over Antarctica has recovered so much, it’s, in fact, stopped several worrying modifications in the Southern Hemisphere’s ambience. ” The ‘climate bands’ that bring our cold snaps have been tightening in the direction of the south pole, which’s why southern Australia has actually experienced reducing rainfall over the last thirty years or so,” claims Ian Rae, organic drug store from the College of Melbourne that was not involved in the research study.
In 2015, the Antarctic ozone hole struck its smallest yearly optimal on record since 1982, but the issue isn’t addressed, as well as this record may have something to do with uncommonly light temperature levels in that layer of the environment.
What can be expected in the coming years remains unclear. But one thing is clear that the greater than normal ozone hole has in part been caused by severe climatic conditions. It will be too early to conclude that if climate change remains unchecked and persists, will the Arctic ozone depletions get worse. Yet we know that ozone depletion will lead to severe weather conditions around the world, which will have far-reaching consequences.
