Climate / Environment
Agencies rank Antarctic ozone hole seventh-largest in monitoring record
NOAA and NASA attribute the size to a strong polar vortex and say long-term recovery remains on track.
Status: source-checked.
The 2026 Antarctic ozone hole was the seventh-largest in 48 years of monitoring, NOAA and NASA scientists reported Nov. 3, citing an unusually powerful polar vortex.
From Sept. 7 to Oct. 13, the hole averaged about 9.6 million square miles, and it peaked Sept. 18 at 10.5 million square miles, about 90% of the record set in 2000, according to the agencies.
Scientists said the hole would have been larger if ozone-depleting chemicals had not been reduced through international agreements, and that the ozone layer remains on track to recover later this century.
What we know / what we don't
What we know
- Seasonal mean area ranked seventh-largest in 48 years.
- Peak extent: 10.5 million square miles on Sept. 18.
What we don't know
- Exact recovery timing remains a projection.
The source record