What is ozone hole? How the world has been successful in reducing the size of ozone hole?

Ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms. Ozone occurs naturally in small amounts. Manufactured chemicals such as chlorine, fluorine deplete the ozone layer. Every year during spring over Antarctica the atmospheric ozone is destroyed by chemical processes. This creates the ozone hole, which occurs because of special meteorological and chemical conditions that exist in that region.

Is Ozone a Pollutant?

At around 10 km to 40 km up in the atmosphere (i.e. stratosphere layer), the ozone layer acts as a sunscreen and shields Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. But close to the surface, ozone acts as a byproduct of pollution can trigger health problems such as asthma and bronchitis.

Smallest Ozone Hole

NASA and US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists have reported the smallest ozone hole since 1982.

There have been abnormal weather patterns in the atmosphere over Antarctica this year. In warmer temperatures, fewer polar stratospheric clouds were formed and they didn’t persist as long. This limited the ozone-depletion process.

Even though it is a good news NASA has cautioned about the importance of the fact to recognise that what has been observed this year is not a sign that atmospheric ozone is suddenly on a fast track to recovery.

Topics: GS-III: Conservation Environmental Pollution Degradation