Overview
- The hole averaged about 7.23 million square miles from Sept. 7 to Oct. 13, with a one-day peak of 8.83 million square miles on Sept. 9.
- It began breaking up nearly three weeks earlier than the past decade’s average, indicating a shorter depletion season.
- Using the full satellite record back to 1979, this year ranks as the 14th smallest over 46 years of observations.
- Direct measurements over the South Pole showed a minimum of 147 Dobson Units on Oct. 6, compared with the record low of 92 in 2006.
- NOAA and NASA report ozone‑depleting substances have fallen by about one‑third since around 2000, and a weaker August polar vortex likely helped limit this year’s depletion.