NOAA, NASA release measurements of 2026 ozone hole

NOAA, NASA release measurements of 2026 ozone hole While weather caused a greater loss of ozone this year, long-term recovery still on track November 4, 2026 NOAA Corps LT Michael Doneghey, the South Pole observatory station lead, holds a weather balloon while NOAA Station Technician Luke Longren carries a package containing an ozonesonde — an airborne instrument that measures ozone levels — just prior to launch on October 18, 2026. (Image credit: Tommy Jensen/Amentum. With permission.) Atypical weather conditions caused the Antarctic ozone hole to grow to an unusually large size in 2026, NOAA and NASA scientists reported today, though they said the protective ozone layer is still on track to recover by later this century. Fueled by a powerful polar vortex, the 2026 ozone hole became the seventh-largest in 48 years of monitoring, based on NOAA and NASA analysis of the seasonal mean area. However, scientists noted that this year’s hole would have been larger still if levels of ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere had not been reduced through international cooperation. During peak ozone depletion season between September 7 and October 13, 2026, the average extent of the hole

Free plan · Plus CA$29 or Pro CA$99/month