The ozone layer gap in Antarctica begins to shrink

A recent study shows that the ozone layer in the Antarctic is beginning to shrink.

The ozone layer in the stratosphere has the ability to block ultraviolet rays to the Earth's surface. Without ozone, humans and animals will be more likely to develop skin cancer and other diseases. Researchers have found that ozone gaps have narrowed more than 3.8 million square kilometers - nearly half the size of the United States - since 2000.

"This is a big surprise , " said Susan Solomon, an atmospheric chemist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, published on June 30 in the journal Science. "I don't think that losses will narrow down so soon."

The biggest ozone gap was on October 2, 2015.(Photo: USA TODAY).

The findings suggest that it is effective for global solidarity to improve the environment and people that can address greater climate change issues, Solomon said. It took at least 30 years for this hole to completely close, but every year it expanded a little more, Solomon said.

Scientists first discovered the ozone layer was significantly thinner in the late 1950s and determined the cause was due to the production of chemical compounds containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) , used in refrigerators and medicines. aerosol spray.

In the late 1980s, 196 countries signed the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to limit CFC production worldwide.

The results of the study show that efforts to limit the production of substances that destroy the ozone layer have helped "heal" the Antarctic gap.(Photo: USA TODAY).

The size of the ozone hole varies from year to year. The ozone gap widens after the winter from June to August in the southern hemisphere, and shrinks the smallest after the summer from December to January.

The diameter of the ozone hole is largest in September or October. Scientists in the study said the best time to measure the hole size was in September, when it was most affected by the substances. CFC .

Scientists also discovered that a record large ozone hole in October last year was mainly caused by a volcanic eruption in Chile six months earlier. Volcanic eruptions have temporarily disrupted the atmospheric chemical activities to such a large breakthrough.