2023 Ozone Hole Update

The 2023 Antarctic ozone hole reached its maximum size of 10 million square miles (26 million square kilometers) on September 21. This makes it the 16th largest ozone hole since 1979.
During the peak of the ozone depletion season, from September 7 to October 13, the hole averaged 8.9 million square miles (23.1 million square kilometers). This is approximately the size of North America.
This means that the ozone hole was larger than average during the 2023 ozone depletion season. However, it was not the largest ozone hole on record. The largest ozone hole occurred in 2000, when it reached a size of 11 million square miles (28.4 million square kilometers).
Despite the global ban on ozone-depleting chemicals, the ozone hole persists due to the long atmospheric lifetimes of these chemicals. It is expected that the ozone hole will continue to shrink and eventually close in the coming decades, but it is important to continue monitoring and researching the ozone layer to ensure that this happens.