Ozone layer over Antarctica?usually grows in September and October, however, according to NASA, now the scientists have observed that the ozone hole is the smallest, since they first started to observe it in 1982.
NASA
As per NASA and the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) the ozone hole over Antarctica reached its peak of 6.3-million square miles on September 8 and shrank all the way to 3.9-million square miles during the remainder of September and October.?
Cold climates usually cause in depletion of ozone layer that results in holes going as large as 8-million square miles by late-September to October.
However, this year, unusually strong weather patterns caused warm temperatures in the upper atmosphere above the South Pole region of Antarctica. A warm climate doesn't cause depletion of ozone layer, thus resulting in a small ozone hole.?
While this definitely is good news, people at NASA warn us that it isn't good enough and the ozone layer is far from healed. Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland states, "It's great news for ozone in the Southern Hemisphere, but it's important to recognize that what we're seeing this year is due to warmer stratospheric temperatures. It's not a sign that atmospheric ozone is suddenly on a fast track to recovery."
Susan Strahan, an atmospheric scientist with Universities Space Research Association, who works at NASA Goddard says, "It's a rare event that we're still trying to understand. If the warming hadn't happened, we'd likely be looking at a much more typical ozone hole."?
NASA
To the uninitiated, the ozone layer is like our Earth's sunscreen that prevents harmful UV rays of the sun to hit us and save us from catastrophic UV damage which can cause dangerous life-threatening problems like cataracts and skin cancer. The layer sits in the stratosphere around 7-25 miles above the ground.?
The Montreal Protocol came into effect in 1987, where the world pledged to cease the harm it was causing to the ozone layer. While pollution affects the health of the ozone layer, CFC causes the most damage. Under the protocol, countries (including India) who signed up have stopped the use of CFC in the products shipped in their nation and have started to use cleaner alternatives.