2026 Ozone Hole Update

Narration: Sofie Bates

Transcript:

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The 2026 ozone hole is the

7th-largest ozone hole

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since NASA started tracking

it in 1979.

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From mid-September to mid-October,

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the ozone hole covered about 9.6

million square miles on average.

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But here's some good news.

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Scientists have observed

that the annual ozone hole

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has been forming later and breaking up earlier in recent years,

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which tells us that the ozone layer is healing,

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and is still on track to recover by later this century.

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So why is the ozone hole so large

this year?

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Well, a lot of it depends on weather -

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specifically, polar winds.

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This year, a stronger and

more persistent polar vortex

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has kept a tight grip over the Antarctic,

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allowing the ozone hole to grow larger than we've seen in recent years.

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So while the 2026 ozone hole

is large,

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it could have been 1-2 million square miles larger

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if ozone-depleting substances

were as prevalent in the atmosphere today

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as they were two decades ago.

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This year, a stronger

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and more persistent polar vortex

has kept a tight grip over the Antarctic,

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allowing the ozone hole to grow larger

than we've seen in recent

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years.

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In fact,

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with an average extent of nine point

6,000,000mi²,

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it's the seventh largest hole

since NASA started

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tracking it in 1979.

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But here's some good news.

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But here's some good news.

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So why is it so large this year?

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So why is the ozone hole so large

this year?

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Well, a lot of it depends on whether

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specifically polar winds.

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This year, a stronger

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and more persistent

polar vortex has kept a tight grip.

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This year,

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a stronger and more persistent

polar vortex has kept a tight grip

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over the Antarctic, allowing the allowing

the hole to grow larger.

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Who writes that?

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So while the 22.

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So while the 2026 ozone hole is large,

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it could have been 1

to 2,000,000mi² larger.

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If ozone depleting substances

were as prevalent in the atmosphere today

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as they were two decades ago.