2023-10-09 15:02:36
Updated 09/10/23 at 5:02 p.m.
According to data recorded on September 16 by the Sentinel 5P satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), the hole that formed this year in the ozone layer above theAntarctic is one of the largest ever measured. As reported by the online media Live Scienceit measures 26 million square kilometers, or regarding 47 times the size of the France !
Every year during the autumn months, the scientists observe breaches in the ozone layer above Antarctica, when polar stratospheric clouds appear. These are composed of tiny crystals of glace, which weaken the already limited amounts of ozone. This year, however, these clouds developed in mid-August, causing a much bigger hole than usual.
Total absorption in 2050
This considerable discrepancy might be linked to the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, which exploded with the force of more than 100 bombs.Hiroshima and created the highest volcanic plume ever recorded when it peaked in January 2022. According to researchers at theESAhowever, there is no reason to worry: the area located under this breach is almost uninhabited, and it should close within a few months.
Discovered in 1985, the hole in the ozone layer has been largely attributed to human activity, and more particularly to chlorofluorocarbons and bromine, used en masse in refrigerators and aerosols. The progressive ban on these substances has fortunately made it possible to stabilize their level in the atmosphere. Experts now estimate that this hole should completely disappear by 2050.
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