Ozone Hole Grows

The

ozone hole over Antarctica had reached a record size by early September and may break the all-time record of 11 million square miles (28.5 million km²) before shrinking as the austral summer begins, according to British Antarctic Survey scientist Jonathan Shanklin, one of the hole’s discoverers in 1985. Hopes were raised that the ozone hole was on the mend last year, when it shrank considerably; scientists now believe that unique atmospheric conditions caused only a temporary reprieve. Though the international Montreal Protocol has significantly diminished the emission of ozone-depleting gasses, scientists don’t yet know how long it will take for the reductions to be reflected in the size of the hole itself.