Australia's massive wildfires shredded the ozone layer — now scientists know why. Smoke from the catastrophic 2019–20 fires unleashed ozone-eating chlorine molecules into the stratosphere.
A wildfire that swept through southeast Australia in 2019-20 unleashed chemicals that widened the ozone layer, according to a new study published in Nature. The study warned that smoke particles from such fires can erode the Earth's protective layer that shields the planet from the Sun's ultraviolet radiation.
The ozone layer, which lies high in the atmosphere, shields us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that come from the Sun. Human activities effectively punched a hole in it, through the use of gases like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in spray cans and refrigerants, which break down ozone molecules in the upper atmosphere.
The special meteorological conditions in Antarctica cause these gases to be more effective there in depleting ozone compared to anywhere else. Human emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons (bromine-containing gases) have occurred mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.
The ozone layer is depleted in two ways. Firstly, the ozone layer in the mid-latitude (e.g. over Australia) is thinned, leading to more UV radiation reaching the earth.
The hole still exists but scientists project the ozone layer to return to a condition not seen since before 1980 by about 2050. The overall recovery of the ozone hole is a "slow process", but Krummel said humans are headed in the right direction for the issue "not to be much of a problem at all".
Unfortunately, Australia is exposed to higher UV radiation levels compared to other continents like Europe due being located closer to the ozone hole.
Answer and Explanation: There is no hole in the ozone layer above Australia. However, there is a hole that develops in late winter over Antarctica, a nearby continent.
The hole is currently about 7.6 million square miles wide.
Depletion of stratospheric ozone occurs over both hemispheres of the Earth. However, this phenomenon is more pronounced in the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctica) than in the Northern Hemisphere (Arctic). This is the case because the formation of the ozone hole is directly linked to the stratosphere's temperature.
As the ozone hole over the south pole breaks up in spring, pockets of ozone depleted air drift across Tasmania, southern Victoria and the southern part of New Zealand's south island.
After the ozone hole discovery, heavy investment in scientific research, marshalling of economic resources and coordinated international political action helped to turn things around. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was adopted to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals which deplete it.
We don't hear much about the hole in the ozone layer anymore. That's because we've all but fixed it, thanks to consumer choices and a massive international agreement called the Montreal Protocol.
Ozone depleting substances are chemicals that destroy the earth's protective ozone layer. They include: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) halon.
The smoke from Australia's wildfires temporarily depleted 3 to 5 percent of the ozone above parts of the Southern Hemisphere, per the study. It also worsened the ozone hole over Antarctica, widening it by 2.5 million square kilometers, or 10 percent of its area compared to the previous year.
The ozone layer over New Zealand is thinner.
Unfortunately, due to decades of man-made gas emissions, the ozone layer over New Zealand has continuously thinned. The ozone layer is like the Earth's personal sun protectant. The ozone layer's role is to absorb the harmful UV rays that are sent from the sun.
Australia's unusually harsh sunshine results mainly from its location in the Southern Hemisphere. The elliptical orbit of the Earth places the Southern Hemisphere closer to the sun during its summer months than the Northern Hemisphere during its summer.
The Antarctic vortex is an upper-altitude stratospheric air current that sweeps around the Antarctic continent, confining the Antarctic ozone hole. "Variations in the size of the ozone hole and of ozone depletion accompanying it from one year to the next are not unexpected," said Dr.
Scientists said the recovery is gradual and will take many years. If current policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 levels — before the appearance of the ozone hole — by 2040, the report said, and will return to normal in the Arctic by 2045.
The ozone layer is the thinnest over Antarctica. This region is referred to as the "hole" in the ozone layer.
Basically, through migration, our two countries have been populated by many people with fair skin whose ancestors come from much less sunny climates. Lack of protective pigmentation leaves skin cells especially vulnerable to the DNA-damaging rays from the sun.
The very low winter temperatures in the Antarctic stratosphere cause polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) to form. Special reactions that occur on PSCs, combined with the isolation of polar stratospheric air in the polar vortex, allow chlorine and bromine reactions to produce the ozone hole in Antarctic springtime.
Climate change in Australia is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and the country is generally becoming hotter, and more prone to extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods and longer fire seasons because of climate change.
Though many believe it's because we're beneath a hole in the ozone layer, this is a myth. The more likely explanation is because of Tasmania's clean, clear air. The sun's rays don't have to fight through pollutants and can reach us more easily. On myths, don't believe that it rains here lots.
Australia's climate is governed mostly by its size and by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt (subtropical ridge or Australian High).