Reports: Antarctic Ozone Hole Smallest, Shortest Duration Since 2019
The 2025 Antarctic ozone hole was about 30% smaller than the largest recorded in 2006 and began breaking up nearly three weeks earlier than usual, NASA and NOAA said.
- This year, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the 2025 Antarctic ozone 'hole' ranked as the fifth-smallest since 1992, with a maximum one-day extent of 8.83 million square miles.
- The Montreal Protocol established controls that limit ozone-depleting compounds, and NOAA and NASA scientists emphasize these efforts are driving gradual ozone recovery this year.
- Scientists define the ozone 'hole' as areas below 220 Dobson Units, measured by NOAA balloon measurements and the South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory.
- The 2025 ozone 'hole' is breaking up nearly three weeks earlier than the past decade, with an average extent of about 7.23 million square miles, increasing UV risks for health and agriculture.
- Researchers project the ozone layer will recover later this century, as chlorine and bromine from legacy sources linger in the atmosphere, delaying full recovery, NOAA and NASA say.
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The annual ozone hole that has been forming over Antarctica for decades was last this small and short-lived in 2019. Scientists see this as an encouraging sign of the ozone layer's recovery.
NASA, NOAA Rank 2025 Ozone Hole as 5th Smallest Since 1992
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 26, 2025 While continental in scale, the ozone hole over the Antarctic was small in 2025 compared to previous years and remains on track to recover later this century, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported. The hole this year was the fifth smallest since 1992, the year a landmark international agreement to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals began to take effect.
Early season conclusion and low expansion indicate a recovery of the ozone layer.
The 2025 ozone hole was the smallest and most short-lived of the decade, and it was concluded at the end of November. Researchers believe that the ozone layer is recovering sustainably and that international environmental agreements have an impact.
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has shrunk to its smallest since 2019 - scientists called it an "encouraging signal"The ozone hole over Antarctica this year became the smallest in the last six years, reaching 21 million sq. km. This shows the recovery of the ozone layer and the effectiveness of the ban on ozone-depleting substances.
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has been closed as of 1 December, which means the earliest disappearance since 2019, while it was also the...
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