Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian media: Israeli occupation forces storm the Old City in the center of Nablus, occupied West Bank
Local sources to Al Mayadeen: Sudanese army forces drones strike town of Kabkabiya, North Darfur.
Syrian Observatory: The plane is loaded with air defense systems and heavy weapons as part of US troop reinforcements to its bases in northeastern Syria
Syrian Observatory: US cargo plane lands with two military helicopters at Kharab al-Jir base in the countryside of Rmeilan, north of Hasakah
Miguel Díaz-Canel to Gustavo Petro: US seeks to reimpose the Monroe Doctrine in its relations with sovereign states in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the military wing of the PFLP, says they handed over the body of an Israeli captive to the Israeli occupation forces in implementation of the clauses of the ceasefire agreement.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: Israeli drones are flying over the presidential palace in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, and over the skies of the capital, Beirut, and its suburbs.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launch a series of raids on the al-Mahmoudiya and Jarmaq areas
Trump reiterates proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop at current front line, negotiate later
Reuters: Trump says no discussion regarding Ukraine ceding Donbas to Russia

This Year’s Ozone Layer Hole ‘Larger than Usual’

  • By Al Mayadeen
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Sep 2021 09:45
  • 4 Shares
3 Min Read

Scientists say that the ozone hole is unusually large for this stage in the season, and is growing rapidly.

  • x
  • This year’s Ozone layer hole is bigger than the Antarctica
    This year’s Ozone layer hole is bigger than Antarctica

The hole in the ozone layer that develops annually is now “rather larger than usual” and bigger than Antarctica, researchers from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) revealed.

They stated that this year’s hole is growing quickly and is larger than 75% of ozone holes at this stage in the season since 1979.

Moreover, according to the European Space Agency, this year's ozone hole appears to be similar in size to 2020's, with a current area of roughly 23 million square km, larger than the whole of Antarctica.

"This ozone evolution is what we would expect given the current atmospheric conditions. The progress of the ozone hole over the coming weeks will be extremely interesting,” Antje Inness, a senior scientist at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which operates the CAMS, is quoted as saying.

2021 - the ozone hole so far 🛰️🌎

According to @CopernicusECMWF, the 2021 ozone hole has considerably grown in the last two weeks and is now larger than 75% of ozone holes at that stage in the season since 1979.
ℹ️ https://t.co/JqkLLcmFfM
📽️Size of the 2021 ozone hole#OzoneDay pic.twitter.com/3eMd3wVGUU

— ESA EarthObservation (@ESA_EO) September 16, 2021

What is the Ozone?

Related News

Europe losing green land at alarming rate, investigation reveals

Vietnam prepares for Typhoon Bualoi with evacuations amid climate risk

The Ozone lies at about 11-40km above the Earth’s surface, in the stratosphere. It protects the planet from sunrays, repelling ultraviolet radiation. Every year, a hole forms during the late winter of the southern hemisphere as the sun causes ozone-depleting reactions, which involve chemically active forms of chlorine and bromine derived from human-made compounds. In a statement, Copernicus said that this year’s hole “has evolved into a rather larger than usual one”.

🌐The 2021's #OzoneHole has evolved into a rather larger than usual one. How do you think it sizes up next to other recent years? Compare it side-by-side with our decades-long record

More on how the #CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service tracks #ozone➡️https://t.co/U1k51lHMyp pic.twitter.com/mF0EzYTWDC

— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) September 16, 2021

The hole's expansion is normal, but to what extent?

According to CAMS Director, Vincent-Henri Peuch, the ozone hole that appeared last year began innocuously enough, but later became one of the longest-lasting examples of the phenomena ever seen, eventually closing in late December.

Scientists note that the hole normally expands to a maximum area of around 20.7 million square km, in years with regular weather conditions.

Despite these natural variations, experts predict that the hole will close permanently by 2050 as a result of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was ratified by all UN countries.

The history of the hole expansion and closure

In 2019, NASA reported the smallest ozone hole ever recorded, peaking at 16.4 million square km in early September, before shrinking to less than 10 million square km throughout the rest of September and October. However, in 2015, meteorological agencies recorded one of the largest and most persistent ozone holes over the South Pole, with its vortex area reaching over 32 million square km.

The 2020 Arctic ozone hole was also very large and deep and peaked at roughly three times the size of the continental US.

The Antarctic ozone hole usually reaches its peak between mid-September and mid-October. When temperatures start to rise high up in the stratosphere in late southern hemisphere spring, ozone depletion slows, the polar vortex weakens and finally breaks down, and, by December, ozone levels usually return to normal.

  • Environment
  • ozone layer
  • Antarctica
  • Ozone layer hole
STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

STOP THE HEAT: A Climate Change Coverage

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Yemeni Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari , during a ceremony in an undisclosed locations in Yemen, undate (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemeni Armed Forces mourn martyred Chief of Staff al-Ghamari

  • Politics
  • 16 Oct 2025
Israeli occupation violates Gaza ceasefire, killing seven Palestinians.

Israeli occupation violates Gaza ceasefire, kills seven Palestinians

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Zionists Fundamentally Misread Iran Due To Their Own Echo Chambers

Zionists fundamentally misread Iran due to their own echo chambers

  • Analysis
  • 15 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
UK blocks release of documents on secretive Lammy-Sa’ar meeting.
Politics

UK blocks release of documents on secret Lammy-Sa’ar meeting

Colombia slams Trump’s drug accusation, defends sovereignty
Politics

Colombia slams Trump’s incendiary drug claims, defends sovereignty

The abuse was detailed in Giuffre's memoir "Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice." (AP)
Politics

Epstein victim recounts choking, sexual assault by 'well-known PM'

The US Secret Service discovered a hunting stand near the airport President Donald Trump uses in Florida. (US Secret Service)
Politics

FBI probes hunting stand with sightline to Trump’s Air Force One exit

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS