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Earth's Ozone layer largest hole spreading over 1 million square kilometers above the Arctic has closed, said a report published in the week.in. This activity took place due to unusual atmospheric conditions and not due to less Pollution as per researchers. It is believed that the polar vortex, the high-altitude currents that are responsible for bringing cold air to the polar regions, is responsible for the healing of the layer.
Such holes in the ozone layer are quite common above the Antarctic at the South Pole especially during summers, but the ozone layer hole above the Arctic this year is unusual. The ozone layer works as a protective shield as it prevents Sun's ultraviolet rays (causing skin cancer in humans) from entering Earth. These holes above the arctic circle could pose severe damage to humans if it increases to populated areas.
Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Services (CAMS) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) confirmed this development. This hole was first identified by scientists in March earlier this year. Sharing a post on the micro-blogging website, Copernicus ECMWF wrote, "The unprecedented 2020 northern hemisphere #OzoneHole has come to an end. The #PolarVortex split, allowing #ozone-rich air into the Arctic, closely matching last week's forecast from the #CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service."
Human-made chemicals including chlorine and bromine that migrate into the stratosphere – a layer of the atmosphere around 10–50 kilometers above sea level contribute mainly to the Antarctic ozone hole.
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