There is renewed concern in the scientific community about the data provided by ESA (European Space Agency) as it warned against it Ozone layer opened up in a huge hole, similar to that in North America Antarctic.
The measurements were taken by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite and show that this year’s ozone hole over Antarctica is one of the largest on record.
The hole, which scientists call the “ozone depletion zone,” reached 26 million square kilometers on September 16, 2023. That’s about three times the size of Brazil.
There are frequent fluctuations in ozone hole measurements throughout the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, as high stratospheric temperatures begin to rise, ozone depletion slows, the polar vortex weakens and eventually collapses, and ozone levels return to normal by the end of December.
The Copernicus satellite had a multispectral imaging spectrometer called Tropomi. It detects the unique fingerprints of atmospheric gases in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to image a wide range of pollutants with greater precision and higher spatial resolution than ever before.
Ozone hole observed by the German Aerospace Center
Diego Loyola, a scientist at the German Aerospace Center, said: “Sentinel-5P’s total ozone products are percent accurate compared to ground-based data and this allows us to closely monitor the ozone layer and its evolution.” “Tropomi measurements expand the global record of ozone data from European satellite sensors spanning almost three decades.”
Antje Inness, CAMS (Atmosphere Monitoring Service) senior scientist, said: “Our operational ozone monitoring and forecasting service shows that the ozone hole started early in 2023 and has grown rapidly since mid-August.” It reached size on September 16th of more than 26 million square kilometers, making it one of the largest ozone holes of all time. “Tropomi ozone data is an important data set for our ozone analysis.”
Why has the ozone hole grown so much?
3D representation of the ozone hole development in 2023
Some researchers speculate that this year’s unusual ozone patterns may be related to the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption in January 2022.
Antje explains: “The eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano in January 2022 ejected a large amount of water vapor into the stratosphere, which only reached the southern polar regions after the end of the ozone hole in 2022.”
“Water vapor may have led to increased formation of polar stratospheric clouds in which chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can react and accelerate the depletion of the ozone layer.” “The presence of water vapor may also contribute to the cooling of the Antarctic stratosphere, further promoting the formation of these polar stratospheric clouds and leads to a more robust polar vortex.”
Editor’s Recommendations