Scientists found the Ozone Hole above Antarctica, the Fifth Largest on Record

Scientists found the Ozone hole above Antarctica, which spans about 25 million square kilometers and it is as big as North America. The Ozone hole found by the scientists reached its maximum annual size on 14 September 2011, becoming the fifth largest on record.

A spacecraft called POES discovered the Antarctic Ozone hole for the first time in the late 1970s. POES could measure Ozone and it was run by the National Oceanic and Administration (NOAA). The largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded occurred in 2006, at a size of 27.5 million square kilometer.

Scientists stated that intense cold in the upper atmosphere of the Arctic activated ozone-depleting chemicals and that resulted in ozone hole ever recorded over the high northern regions.

What is Ozone?
Ozone is a pollutant on the earth’s surface. However, in the stratosphere it forms a protective layer that reflects ultraviolet radiation back out in space and protect us from the damaging ultra-violet rays.