The ozone hole in 2023 started early and grew rapidly from mid-August, explains the ESA.
Photo: European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) found on Wednesday (October 4) that this year’s ozone hole over Antarctica reached 26 million square kilometers on September 16. This is about three times the size of Brazil, the agency said. (Can read: Investors proposed partnering with the Wayús on renewable energy projects)
Although ESA scientists believe it is still too early to reveal the reasons for this phenomenon, they point out that “this year’s unusual ozone patterns” are linked to the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in January could. from 2022.
According to Antje Inness, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), “The eruption of the Hunga Tonga volcano in January 2022 injected a large amount of water vapor into the stratosphere, which only reached the south polar regions in 2022. The ozone hole ended.” (You may be interested in: Stranded ships and bottlenecks: This is what the severe drought in the Amazon region looks like)
“Water vapor may have led to increased formation of polar stratospheric clouds in which chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can react and accelerate ozone depletion. The presence of water vapor could also contribute to the cooling of the Antarctic stratosphere, further promoting the formation of these polar stratospheric clumps and leading to a more robust polar vortex,” Inness added.
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According to the scientist, data provided by the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite showed that the ozone hole had an early onset in 2023 and grew rapidly since mid-August. By September 16, it reached a size of more than 26 million km², “making it one of the largest ozone holes ever recorded.” (You can also read: In Colombia, 304 amphibian species are endangered and scientists are calling for them to be protected)
Despite ESA’s initial hypotheses, the agency emphasizes that more data is still needed to determine the exact impact of the Hunga Tonga eruption. “This is because there have been no previous cases in modern observations of such significant amounts of water vapor being injected into the stratosphere,” the company concluded.