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Antarctic: 2021’s Massive Ozone Hole Finally Closes

2021-12-28 81 Dailymotion

ANTARCTICA — A huge hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer opened up a few weeks ago, exposing humans to dangerous levels of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Here are the details: <br /> <br /> <br />New Scientist reports that one of the largest holes to ever form in Earth’s protective ozone layer is finally closing. <br /> <br /> <br />The NASA Earth Observatory reported that the 2021 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum size on October 7 and ranks as the 13th largest since 1979, exposing an area bigger than Antarctica. <br /> <br /> <br />2020 also saw a similarly oversized hole form for the same reasons, when a colder than usual winter in the southern hemisphere fed a deep and larger than average hole that persisted for a longer period than usual. <br /> <br /> <br />The hole is actually the thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere above Antarctica. <br /> <br /> <br />Chemically active forms of chlorine and bromine — derived from human-made compounds — are released into the stratosphere during reactions on high-altitude polar clouds. <br /> <br /> <br />The reactive chlorine and bromine then spark ozone-destroying reactions when sunlight hits the Antarctic at the end of its winter. <br /> <br /> <br />The hole would often force southern countries like New Zealand to issue ultraviolet radiation warnings in the middle of their summer months. <br /> <br /> <br />Scientists predicted that the hole would finally close last week. <br /> <br /> <br />Despite the surprisingly big size of the hole in 2020 and 2021, scientists still believe that the hole will finally stop forming by the middle of this century. <br /> <br /> <br />

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