A record for the maximum compression of the ozone hole has been recorded

This is precisely the rare case of long-awaited good environmental news: according to NASA scientists, the giant hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer is shrinking, reaching its smallest size since 1988 in 2017.

This year, its width was approximately 19.7 million square kilometers, 3.4 million square kilometers smaller than last year. It began shrinking most rapidly in September.

According to the researchers, this is due to warmer-than-usual weather conditions. Warm air in the stratosphere helped repel chemicals like chlorine and bromine, which destroy ozone molecules in the stratosphere.

The news came just after the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the hole that «created» the 1987 Montreal Protocol—the landmark international agreement that led to a global, unified effort to phase out ozone-depleting substances.

Protecting the Earth from Solar Ultraviolet Radiation with the Ozone Layer/Depositphotos

The deterioration of the ozone layer has occurred primarily over Antarctica and has become a particular cause for concern for those living in the Southern Hemisphere.

Ozone, a colorless gas, protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, which can cause high rates of skin cancer and cataracts and disrupt plant growth.

From the mid-1980s to the 1990s, the ozone hole became a global sensation, with all its frightening connotations, which galvanized the public into supporting scientists’ fight to stop its growth.

Increased concerns about skin cancer and the growing ozone hole prompted 24 countries to sign the Montreal Protocol. That number eventually rose to 197.

Changing shape of ozone holes over Antarctica and Antarctica from 2010-2013

Scientists say it was a rare global scientific agreement because it did exactly what it was designed to do: spur action to shrink the hole in the ozone layer. The results, released Thursday, show the world is on track to achieve that significant milestone.

Despite efforts to restore the ozone layer by phasing out chemicals used in refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol cans, this will unfortunately not produce immediate results. This is due to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which have a long lifespan and could continue to drift in the atmosphere even after 100 years.

Scientists predict that the ozone layer will not return to its 1980s state until 2070.

In June, scientists identified another potential threat to recovery, believing that dichloromethane, an industrial chemical that can deplete ozone, has doubled in the atmosphere over the past 10 years.

If its concentrations continue to increase, it could delay the return of the Antarctic ozone layer to normal for up to 30 years, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.

According to NASA, the ozone hole was at its largest in 2000, measuring 29.8 million square kilometers in width.