Copernicus: the largest hole in the ozone layer over the closed Arctic (PHOTOS)



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The largest hole ever seen in the Arctic ozone layer has been closed, according to the Copernicus Atmospheric Institute, cited by BGNES.

The ozone layer protects the Earth from most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, which is a major cause of skin cancer.

The land is cleaner and wilder than people at home.

The record hole would only pose a direct threat to people if it moved south to the settlements.

But on Thursday (April 23), Copernicus, the EU’s ground monitoring program, announced that the hole had already been closed, Ervonuz reports.

The closure has nothing to do with reducing pollution caused by the blockade of much of the world by COVID-19. Instead, it is reduced to the polar vortex, high-altitude currents that generally bring cold air to the polar regions. It has been divided into two, giving the Arctic region a relative heat, with temperatures up to 20ºC higher than normal during this time of year.

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This year, the polar vortex was extremely powerful and the temperatures inside were very cold. This generates stratospheric clouds that destroy the ozone layer by interacting with CFC gases, prohibited by the 1987 Montreal Protocol. In recent days, the polar vortex has deteriorated and weakened. The Copernicus ECMWF (European Center for Weather Forecasts) predicts that it will resurface without affecting the ozone layer.

“It is very unusual for ozone depletion to occur in the northern hemisphere, but this year the polar vortex was extremely strong and stable, and temperatures were low enough to allow stratospheric clouds to form for several months,” said the scientist. . Copernicus Anti Innes.

The most famous ozone hole is located over Antarctica at the South Pole and appears in Australian spring (July to September) when the stratosphere is naturally much colder. In general, the conditions for ozone depletion on this scale simply do not occur at the North Pole.

This year, a strong and constant polar vortex caused more ozone-depleting chemicals than usual, adding to the extreme cold conditions for this unprecedented hole.

The first time an ozone hole was observed at the North Pole was in 2011, but it was also smaller in January.

It is still too early to attribute this phenomenon to climate change or assess its consequences in the short, medium or long term.

“We don’t know at the moment why the dynamics were so unusual this winter.” I am sure that many scientists will investigate to discover the causes, “said Ines.

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A direct consequence is the increased exposure to UV rays in the areas through which this ozone hole has passed: during Alaska, Canada, Greenland and parts of Russia.

Scientists from the University of Santiago de Chile claim that the extreme polar vortex is also amplified by the ozone hole, and this is a determining factor in Europe, which has had the warmest winter since it broke records. They also believe that “what happened should not have any effect on the northern summer, nor does it allow us to say much about what the summer will be like.”

The Antarctic ozone hole in 2019 has been the smallest since atmospheric destruction caused by CFC gases was discovered in 1985. The Montreal Protocol’s ban on these gases in 1987 allowed the ozone hole in Antarctica was reduced and even gradual. Recovery of atmospheric currents in the southern hemisphere, according to a recent study.

Last year’s decline in the ozone hole is also due to an extreme episode of stratospheric warming.

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