Ozone Hole Continues Healing over Antarctica

The ozone hole continues healing. NASA and NOAA Rank the 2024 ozone hole as the seventh-smallest since the recovery began.

The ozone layer over Antarctica continues to heal, with NASA and NOAA reporting that the 2024 ozone hole ranks as the seventh smallest since recovery efforts began. The hole reached its maximum size on September 28, covering 8.5 million square miles (22.4 million square kilometers).

This map shows the extent of the ozone hole over the South Pole on that date, as NASA’s Ozone Watch team measured. Scientists define the ozone “hole” as the region where ozone levels fall below 220 Dobson units.

This year’s ozone hole was the 20th smallest on record since measurements began in 1979, and its average size from September to October was the seventh smallest since the Montreal Protocol started helping reduce ozone depletion.

source NASA