The earth’s ozone layer protects life from harmful radiation from the sun. Ozone is comprised of three oxygen molecules bonded together. Without this layer of protection, too much UV light would hit the earth’s surface, resulting in damage to crops and increased skin cancer and cataract rates in humans.
In the 1970’s scientists discovered that some chemicals such as: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform were depleting the ozone layer. These chemicals were often found in refrigerants, fire suppressants, foam insulation and aerosols.
In 1985 the Vienna Convention on the protection of the ozone layer formalized international cooperation to find a solution. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was an international agreement signed in 1987 which phased out the use of these ozone depleting chemicals on a global scale. The positive impact of this international agreement is why many of you may have never heard of the hole in the ozone layer. For earlier generations (those born in 1970-1990s) would have grown up learning about this in environmental issue beginning in elementary school. Thanks to the Montreal Protocol and international cooperation, the hole in the ozone layer is on track to be fully recovered by 2040.
2025 Ozone Hole Update (0:48)
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Transcript: 2025 Ozone Hole Update (0:48)
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This year, the ozone hole over Antarctica reached its annual maximum extent on September 9th, 2025, with an area of 8.83 million square miles (22.86 million square kilometers.)
The average size of the ozone hole between September 7 and October 13 this year was the 5th-smallest since 1992— when the Montreal Protocol began to take effect.
NASA and NOAA previously ranked ozone hole severity using a time frame dating back to 1979, when scientists began tracking Antarctic ozone levels with satellites. Using that longer record, this year’s hole area ranked 14th smallest over 46 years of observations.
The annual maximum extent of the ozone hole can vary year to year due to weather, but the multi-decadal record shows that the ozone layer appears to be slowly recovering and is on track to rebound by later this century.