Diego Loyola from the German Space Center explained that a giant hole was detected in the Arctic section of the ozone layer. Loyola said that the hole in the ozone layer reached an area of 1,600,000 square kilometers after it was detected in February. After the hole in the ozone layer is detected, measurements made in the region show that the ozone levels in the region have decreased. Scientists say that for several reasons, it is unusual for the ozone layer to be pierced at the North Pole. In Antarctica, where the temperature dropped to very low levels, it was reported that holes were detected in the ozone layer every year. However, since 2011, no ozone layer holes were detected in the North Pole. Ozone layer holes have been detected in Antarctica since 1985 Holes are formed in the ozone layer due to man-made chemicals. The first ozone layer hole in Antarctica was discovered in 1985. Since then, new ozone layer holes are detected in the region every year. One of the responsible behind the depletion of the ozone layer is chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). Until it was banned in 1996, CFCs were used in many areas and accumulated in the ozone layer, causing it to rupture. The extreme cold of Antarctica, the folds in the stratospheric clouds that facilitate the reaction of CFCs with the ozone layer, provide the formation of polar vortexes. For this reason, new ozone layer holes are detected every year in Antarctica. Vincent-Henri Peuch, director of the European Union’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service, said the high altitude mountainous terrain in the North Pole has broken the power of the polar vortexes, so ozone layer holes are rarely seen in the Arctic region. Although it is rare, Peuch stated that ozone layer holes are also seen in the Arctic region, but it is not entirely clear why a new ozone layer hole in the record size is formed. What is the meaning of the ozone layer hole in the North Pole? Vincent-Henri Peuch announced that ozone levels in the region dropped rapidly in February and March due to the hole. The decrease in the ozone level in the ozone layer that protects the Earth from ultraviolet rays means that more UV radiation will be seen in this period. In the measurements made after the formation of holes in the ozone layer, the UV index in the region reached 5. For the arctic region, this UV index is much higher than it should be. However, for many countries, including the USA, it is normal for this UV index to be at the level of 5 or 6. Vincent-Henri Peuch said that although the ozone layer hole in the Arctic region is unusually large for the region, it is not a problem for humans. The effects of the hole in the ozone layer will be very low, as the increased UV radiation affects the Greenland region, where the population is sparse and the radiation exposure is low.
