[Light Piano Music]
This year, the ozone hole over Antarctica reached its annual maximum area on Sept. 21, 2023.
At its peak, the hole, which is really a region of thinning, measured 10 million square miles.
That’s approximately the size of North America.
Weather patterns, temperatures, and the eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, all influenced the size of the Antarctic ozone hole this year.
2023’s ozone hole ranks as the 16th largest in 44 years of available satellite data.
NASA and NOAA researchers monitor the ozone hole every year using instruments aboard the Aura, Suomi NPP, and NOAA-20 satellites and measured from ground stations.