WASHINGTON - The ozone hole near the south pole this year is the smallest since it was discovered, but it is more due to freakish Antarctic weather than efforts to cut down on pollution, NASA reported . This fall, the average hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer is 3.6 million square miles (9.3 million square kilometres). That’s down from a peak of 10.3 million square miles (26.6 million square kilometres) in 2006. The ban resulted in a slightly smaller ozone hole in recent years, but this year’s dramatic shrinking isn’t from those efforts, Newman said. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN...Chlorine in the air needs cold temperatures in the stratosphere and clouds to convert into a form of the chemical that eats ozone, Newman said.

Source: thestar October 22, 2019 15:21 UTC