Scientists at the European Atmosphere Monitoring Service Copernicus (CAMS) believe the unusually early discovery of the ozone hole in Antarctica in 2023 was caused by the powerful eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Haapai underwater volcano in January 2022. Report published on the organization’s official website.
In 2023, ozone concentrations in Antarctica fell to extremely low levels in early July, according to the report. This has only been recorded 12 times over 43 years of observations. For comparison, last year the ozone hole opened in the first decade of September.
According to scientists, the Hunga Tong explosion released 45 million tons of water vapor into the atmosphere, which increased the vapor concentration in the stratosphere by 10% and cooled it significantly. The decrease in stratosphere temperature contributed to the diffusion of ozone.
The data show that the size of the ozone hole was 16 million square kilometers in August 2023. This is the 10th result in tracking history. The hole will grow until the end of September, and at best, it will be delayed until the beginning of winter of this year.
The aftermath of the Hunga Tong eruption is an entirely new field for scientists; because no volcanic eruption before in documented history has released so much water into the atmosphere.
ancient scientist named The place with the thinnest ozone layer in the world.