It is usual to talk about “ozone layer hole”. However, there is not just one. The first, which is usually spoken of, is situated over the arctic. Fortunately, thanks to the prevention measures promoted since the 1980s, as of 2016 its gradual closure began to be reported. But there are more holes. For example, in 2020 one was discovered over Antarctica and now another has just been reported, just above the tropics.
your find just announced in a magazine study AIP Advances. However, the scientists who have carried them out believe that could have originated in the 1980s. Therefore, when the hole in the Arctic ozone layer was discovered, it is possible that the one in the tropics was already making its way.
In the study in question, this hole has been compared with that of the Antarctic, since it is the most worrying of those that are open right now. And the comparison has generated great uneasiness, since it presents differences that make it much more dangerous. For example, while that of Antarctica follows a seasonal cycle and it has its greatest loss of ozone in the months of September and October, to then replace part of what was lost, it does not experience any recovery. As a result, people under it are highly exposed to dangerous radiation throughout the year.
How did they discover this hole in the ozone layer?
A hole in the ozone layer is defined as any area where the loss of this gas is a top 25% to any point in the surrounding atmosphere.
The ozone layer serves as a shield to protect the Earth from most harmful cosmic radiation. So what these scientists did was combine old observational data from the atmosphere with models about electronic reactions driven by cosmic rays. In this way, they not only observed whether the ozone layer had suffered losses, but also they measured the consequences just below. This allowed them to discern the existence of a hole seven times larger than Antarctica. With all that that entails.
What can be the consequences?
As the study authors explained in a statement, About half of the world’s population lives in the tropics. That means this new hole in the ozone layer is already exposing you to a greater risk of diseases such as skin cancer to a huge number of people.
In addition, the combination of the three known large holes may be seriously affecting the cooling and warming of the atmosphere. Therefore, they may play a key role in the consequences of global warming and climate change.
All this brings us to the big question: can you go back? Fortunately, we have already seen that sufficiently restrictive measures can help the ozone to recover more quickly in the affected areas. The first big measure that was taken was the prohibition of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). After the chemicals Mario Molina and Frank Sherwood Rowland demonstrated in the 1970s that these substances had a great deal to do with the deterioration of the ozone layer, their use was gradually restricted. In the past they were part of many spray products, but today they are hardly used worldwide.
However, their substitutes, the hydrochlorofluorocarbons, despite being safer, also affected the ozone layer. For this reason, their use is being reduced little by little, with the aim of completely removing them. In addition, over the years it has been seen that many other substances derived from industrial activity they have the same effect. Some have been completely banned, but others are still used. Recently, it has also been shown that some booming activities, such as space travel, can produce compounds that deplete atmospheric ozone levels.
If we try to stop all these emissions, as well as detect others that may be dangerous, we have time to stop or at least slow down the progress of this hole that we did not even know about. Maybe you can even cause it to begin to close. If you could with the Arctic, you should be able to with the rest. But time is short. We already know the problem, now we have to look for quick solutions to end it.