The problem is not that there is a hole in the ozone; the problem is where and when. Every year a hole in the ozone is formed above the Antarctic; while this has been an issue of concern it also a pattern, the hole appearing and disappearing, that repeats annually. However, the Arctic recently has lost an imperial amount of protective layers in its region of the Earth, a pattern that has yet to occur. “For the first time, sufficient loss occurred to reasonably be described as an Arctic ozone hole,” write researchers in an article released online Sunday by the journal Nature. During the Arctic's winter season, the area experiences an annual ozone hole. This annual hole is caused be cold temperatures and ozone-depleting pollutants present in the atmosphere. A polar vortex is when less reactive chemicals are converted in ozone-destroying particles that effect the atmosphere. A polar vortex is created by a circular pattern in the atmosphere due to the Earth's rotation and cold temperatures. This past winter and spring, the Earth experienced a stronger polar vortex and an even longer period of cold temperatures. The marked year of 2010-2011's winter season lasted over the Arctic from December to the end of March with low temperatures lingering at remarkably low altitudes. At altitudes of about 11 to 12 miles (18 to 20 kilometers), about 80 percent of the ozone present in January had been depleted by late March. These same conditions create the infamous ozone hole over Antarctica. The difference is that the South Pole's ozone layer essentially is completely gone from the lower stratosphere every year; the North Pole, however, is highly variable and little research has been done. The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, was a compact of countries to stop producing and using ozone-depleting substances that were contributing massive amounts of ozone depleting chemicals. However, chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons are still present in the atmosphere. There is hope that the ozone situation will improve due to green movements and the cutting of emissions. The key is to balance the ozone pollutant; on the Earth's surface chemicals act as a trap that keeps the global-warming crises occurring, however, in the stratosphere these chemicals act as a reflector keep harmful rays, like ultraviolet rays, from the sun out. Ultraviolet rays can damage DNA and lead to skin cancer. Global warming occurs and pushes the ozone hole in the Arctic region due to greenhouse gases being trapped close to the Earth; this heats up the atmosphere and then cools off in the stratosphere creating conditions that form chemical reactions. BM
