Live
- Green likely to miss Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to back surgery: Report
- State of democracy questionable in Uttar Pradesh: Pawan Khera
- Assam BJP heading towards meeting 100pc target of 60 lakh new members
- WHO report shows vaccines can reduce antibiotic use, fight resistance
- Jauhar Trust approaches SC against termination of lease
- NSE to discontinue three weekly options contracts including Bank Nifty
- DU eyes to launch own satellite, restrict fossil fuel vehicles on campus
- Auto sector clocks $1.9-bn worth 32 deals in Q2
- RBI directs banks, NBFCs to strengthen risk assessments
- Mkts drift higher in lackluster session
Ozone hole gets bigger; Earth to bear more UV damage
The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole area was larger and formed later than in recent years, scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have said.
Washington: The 2015 Antarctic ozone hole area was larger and formed later than in recent years, scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have said.
The ozone hole is a severe depletion of the ozone layer above Antarctica that was first detected in the 1980s. The Antarctic ozone hole forms and expands during the Southern Hemisphere spring (August and September) because of the high levels of chemically active forms of chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere.
Earlier this month, on October 2, the ozone hole expanded to its peak of 28.2 million sq kms -- an area larger than the continent of North America.
Throughout October, the hole remained large and set many area daily records. Unusually cold temperature and weak dynamics in the Antarctic stratosphere this year resulted in this larger ozone hole, scientists said.
In comparison, last year the ozone hole peaked at 24.1 million sq kms on September 11. Compared to the 1991-2014 period, the 2015 ozone hole average area was the fourth largest.
The ozone layer helps shield the Earth from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer, cataracts and suppress immune systems, as well as damage plants.
