Antarctic Ozone Hole Ranked Seventh Largest in 2026

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that the Antarctic ozone hole in 2026 was the seventh largest in 48 years of monitoring, with a seasonal average area of about 9.6 million square miles. The agencies said an unusually powerful polar vortex prolonged ozone depletion, although measurements showed the depletion was less severe than in some record years. The average area was recorded between September 7 and October 13, during the peak depletion season. The hole reached its greatest extent of the year on September 18, covering about 10.5 million square miles, roughly 90% of the largest recorded peak, observed in 2000. The seasonal average was more than twice the area of the United States. At the South Pole, NOAA measurements found that ozone concentrations directly overhead fell to 105 Dobson units on October 17. The lowest recorded value there was 92 Dobson units in October 2006. The 2026 hole was therefore large by area, but its ozone depletion was not as deep as in some earlier record years. Scientists attributed the season’s larger extent in part to a strong polar vortex, which kept cold air over Antarctica and helped sustain conditions for...