‘89 Antarctic Ozone Layer Hole Found Nearly Equal to Record Gap in 1987

Scientists analyzing data from a satellite are reporting the development of a hole in Earth’s ozone layer over the Antarctic that may equal the record-setting gap observed in 1987, NASA said Friday.

The damage to the planet’s protective layer is blamed on a buildup of industrial pollutants. The ozone layer protects Earth’s surface from the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Using an ozone-mapping spectrometer aboard NASA’s Nimbus 7 satellite, the scientists determined that “through mid-September, the ozone hole of 1989 was very similar to the strong ozone hole recorded in 1987,” the space agency said.

Scientist Arlin Krueger of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said, “The ultimate depth of this year’s ozone hole will depend on how long the current rate of decrease is maintained.”