{"id":626196,"date":"2026-09-16T07:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626196\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T07:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T07:42:12","slug":"ozone-hole-over-antarctic-increases-at-above-average-rate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626196\/","title":{"rendered":"Ozone hole over Antarctic increases at ‘above average’ rate"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ozone hole above the Antarctic<\/a> has expanded at an \u2018above average\u2019 size for this time of year, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).<\/p>\n

As CAMS<\/a> noted, while the ozone hole had been developing at a typical rate in the period leading up to August 2026, in the first half of September, this \u2018increased sharply\u2019 to an estimated 25 million square kilometres.<\/p>\n

This is around five million square kilometres above the average for this time of year.<\/p>\n

Atmospheric factors<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Antarctic ozone hole\u2019s development can vary considerably from year to year, depending on a range of atmospheric and chemical factors,\u201d commented Laurence Rouil, director of CAMS. \u201cWhile we have seen its area increase rapidly in early September this year, other indicators remain close to historical averages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings highlight the importance of monitoring the complicated interaction between human-made disturbances and natural factors. CAMS provides the high-quality data, forecasts and analyses needed to understand the state of the ozone layer and track its long-term recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

CAMS made its observation ahead of United Nations International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, <\/a>which falls on 16 September.<\/p>\n

As it noted, the expansion in the ozone<\/a> hole is linked to conditions in the stratosphere over the Southern Hemisphere, and coincided with a sudden fall in minimum temperatures around 20 kilometres above the South Pole.<\/p>\n

\"\"CAMS chart of the ozone hole area on 12 September 2026. The red line shows the data for 2026 and the dotted line the forecast for the following 5 days. The thicker, darker blue line is the evolution of the ozone hole during 2025, and the lighter blue line represents 2024. The grey colours represent the percentile values and the median between 1979 \u2013 2023. Data source: CAMS\/C3S Credit: CAMS\/ECMWF<\/p>\n

Recovery indicators<\/p>\n

The largest recorded area for the ozone hole was 29.6 million square kilometres, which was recorded on 9 September 2006. CAMS added that recent years have seen \u2018smaller and shorter-lived\u2019 ozone holes, indicating a degree of recovery.<\/p>\n

\u2018The thinning of the ozone layer is most pronounced over the Antarctic \u2013 where the area of low pressure and cold air (polar vortex) and stratospheric winds are more stable \u2013 with the ozone hole there opening each year during the austral Spring\u2019, it added. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n \u2190 Back \n <\/p>\n

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