In a bit of good news amid stressful coronavirus times, European satellite system Copernicus has discovered that the largest hole in the ozone layer over the Arctic has finally closed.
Earlier in March, scientists had observed a hole forming in the layer and reasoned it as the result of dropping temperatures at the north pole.
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.
— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) April 23, 2020
More on the NH Ozone holehttps://t.co/Nf6AfjaYRi pic.twitter.com/qVPu70ycn4
The ozone layer protects the Earth from the sun’s ultra-violet rays which are a major reason for skin cancer. The hole would have posed a threat to humans if it had extended towards more populated areas.
On April 23, however, it was discovered by Copernicus that the hole had closed itself. According to scientists, this did not happen because of low pollution levels due to the coronavirus lockdown across the world.
Instead, it was because of the polar vertex. This is the high-altitude currents that bring cold air into the polar region. In recent days the vertex has broken and weakened letting warm air inside.
The first ozone hole was observed in the North Pole in 2011.
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