According to the European Space Agency, the Ozone layer’s hole is shrinking.

The ozone layer fluctuates throughout the year and loses around 0.3% of it’s mass each year. The fluctuations cause it’s thickness to change over the course of each year. The area over Antarctica is the thinnest area and is generally known as the ‘hole’ in the ozone layer. The thickness of this hole is usually at it’s lowest in September and October, and gradually creeps up in thickness around January time.

Using measurements taken from their Envisat satellite, the ESA found that the ozone layer hole is actually 30% smaller than in 2006 however it is as yet unclear why the change has occurred.

In 2006, the ozone region over Antarctica dropped a record 44.1 million tonnes. In comparison, this year, only 30.5 million tonnes has been dropped. However, this may just be a blip and does not mean that the ozone layer is healing itself – it is possible that naturally occurring temperature and atmospheric changes have stopped the ozone loss and it may not be a long-term result.

This year, the ozone hole has not been so focused on the South Pole as in previous years. This means that there has been a warm blanket of air underneath it. Ozone depletes around -78 degrees Celsius (-78 degrees Fahrenheit) and the warm air has helped form a blanket around the hole, insulating it and preventing some of the ozone loss by keeping the temperatures up.

It is hoped that the ozone hole is slowly healing itself – the ozone layer is important because it helps absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun, thus helping protect humans against several health problems including cataracts and skin cancer, as well as helping to protect some marine life.

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