Overview

• New research suggests the Antarctic ozone hole has been growing deeper during mid-spring over the last two decades, despite a global ban on chemicals that deplete Earth's shield from deadly solar radiation.
• The ozone layer, which filters out most of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation, has not seen a significant reduction in the area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole, despite the decline in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
• Researchers believe that other factors, possibly related to climate change, might be masking some of the recovery of the ozone layer.
• The study's findings contradict a recent UN-backed assessment that projected the ozone layer should be restored to 1980 levels over the Antarctic by around 2066.
• Some scientists are skeptical of the study's findings, noting that the large ozone holes observed in 2020 to 2022 could be attributed to other factors such as smoke from wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and changes in the solar cycle.