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The ozone hole is only for a short time because of the weather. It keeps replenishing the ozone.

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Q: Why is the ozone hole only there for a short time?
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Where was an “ozone hole” discovered in the 1980s?

The ozone hole was discovered over Antarctica.


When was the massive hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctica first discovered?

The ozone hole first appeared when the ozone layer first appeared. The only variable is the "size" of the hole, and the ozone concentration in the "hole". The pole of the Earth that is experiencing winter receives none of the UV that makes ozone (for like a month or more), and ozone naturally decays with time. TThe ozone hole is a normal feature of our ozone layer. It appears each year when it is winter at one of our poles. So it first appeared when the ozone layer appeared. We first noticed the ozone hole in 1985, above Antartica. One forms over the Arctic pole too when it is winter there. They heal closed again once sunlight reaches the pole. Its not so much the presence or absence of an ozone hole, but its size that is important. It is important to look out for the ozone hole


An the ozone hole be a factor in 2012 predictions?

No, it could not be. The hole was not there at the time of Mayan's.


Is the ozone hole repairable?

No, the ozone hole is not permanent, but does reappear every year. The hole over each pole is only there for a short time each year, during that pole's winter. Lack of sunlight is the cause of this hole.


Which country is most affected by ozone layer hole?

The ozone hole extended to cover parts of South America, which extend further south than either Tasmania or New Zealand. Australia would be exposed only about the same time as South Africa. The ozone hole forms in areas that are not exposed to UV-C from the Sun, and expose areas to UV-B radiation that cannot arrive from the Sun. So the real problem is the general depletion of the ozone layer that causes the ozone hole to be large... not the hole itself, or even perhaps the area it exposes.

Related questions

Where was an “ozone hole” discovered in the 1980s?

The ozone hole was discovered over Antarctica.


Is the ozone hole constant over the time?

No the ozone hole is not constant over the time


What is causing the ozone layer to change?

The amount of ozone in a space is a balance of net producers of ozone, net reducers of ozone, and time (ozone decays on its own...).So the ozone layer changes with temperature, time and season. For example, the ozone hole is an annual phenomenon at each pole. Only the size and duration of the hole may be due to Man's actions.


What causes changes to the ozone layer?

The amount of ozone in a space is a balance of net producers of ozone, net reducers of ozone, and time (ozone decays on its own...).So the ozone layer changes with temperature, time and season. For example, the ozone hole is an annual phenomenon at each pole. Only the size and duration of the hole may be due to Man's actions.


Why is the ozone hole not constant over time?

The ozone hole is not constant. Various man made chemicals vary the size of it.


When was the massive hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctica first discovered?

The ozone hole first appeared when the ozone layer first appeared. The only variable is the "size" of the hole, and the ozone concentration in the "hole". The pole of the Earth that is experiencing winter receives none of the UV that makes ozone (for like a month or more), and ozone naturally decays with time. TThe ozone hole is a normal feature of our ozone layer. It appears each year when it is winter at one of our poles. So it first appeared when the ozone layer appeared. We first noticed the ozone hole in 1985, above Antartica. One forms over the Arctic pole too when it is winter there. They heal closed again once sunlight reaches the pole. Its not so much the presence or absence of an ozone hole, but its size that is important. It is important to look out for the ozone hole


An the ozone hole be a factor in 2012 predictions?

No, it could not be. The hole was not there at the time of Mayan's.


Is the ozone hole repairable?

No, the ozone hole is not permanent, but does reappear every year. The hole over each pole is only there for a short time each year, during that pole's winter. Lack of sunlight is the cause of this hole.


Which country is most affected by ozone layer hole?

The ozone hole extended to cover parts of South America, which extend further south than either Tasmania or New Zealand. Australia would be exposed only about the same time as South Africa. The ozone hole forms in areas that are not exposed to UV-C from the Sun, and expose areas to UV-B radiation that cannot arrive from the Sun. So the real problem is the general depletion of the ozone layer that causes the ozone hole to be large... not the hole itself, or even perhaps the area it exposes.


Why is the ozone hole called a hole when it just contains less ozone than the rest of the ozone layer?

Short answer: It is called a hole, because stars that were not visible with short exposure UV film, become visible through the atmosphere near that pole. The amount of ozone in the "ozone hole" is inadequate to protect life from UV-B from any object that might hover over the hole and radiate it down. Thankfully, the Sun makes ozone where it shines, so the "ozone hole" forms where the Sun does not shine. UV-C from the Sun makes ozone, and when it is winter at the poles, there is no sunlight. Ozone naturally decays with time and temperature, so the concentration of ozone along any vertical path decreases with each passing day until sunlight returns. The size of the "ozone hole", and the duration of how early it forms and how long it takes to heal is assumed to be an indication of overall ozone layer health. See the questions below for more detail If you dig a hole in the back yard, why is it called a hole when it only contains less dirt than the areas around it? Calling an "ozone hole" a "hole", establishes a common language for discussion based on knowledge. Note that the ozone concentration in a polar region experiencing winter (aka. an ozone hole) decreases when sunlight first reaches it... before increasing again over successive days. It does this, because contaminants that are photoactivated by less than UV-C are energized, while the ozone-production mechanism requires UV-C that will not reach that area until later days. Ozone requires energy to exist. Without direct sunlight we find our ozone layer slows breaks down. That is why we see a thinning (called the hole, but it is not really a hole) of this layer when the sun fails to reach the ozone layer due to the earth's tilt. The actual thin area is there only briefly each year.Sunspot activity seems to have a very dominant roll in the size of this thin layer. The sun flares of 1859 seem to have had the greatest impact on this layer that we have seen to date.Some people believe that CFC's contribute to this hole. They believe that significant amounts of CFC's get 15 miles onto the air, despite being heavier then air and react with the ozone layer. There is some science behind this, but far more hype.Calling the thin layer a hole shows just how politically motivated this group is.


Why is the ozone hole a seasonal event?

Ozone in the ozone layer is made by UV-C from our Sun breaking apart oxygen molecules, some of these oxygen atoms form ozone when interacting with whole oxygen molecules. Ozone is naturally unstable (decays with time), and contaminants (H2O, Cl, Br, etc) accelerate the decay of ozone. The ozone hole forms when the pole stops getting UV-C from the Sun, and ozone decays away (for the various reasons above). The ozone that is there, is largely "long lived" remnants, ozone that has diffused in from adjacent regions, and ozone formed by cosmic rays from space. The ozone hole starts healing in the spring, when UV-C from the Sun starts arriving and ozone is made. By summer, ozone has reached its peak equilibrium concentration. UV-C from the Sun is now striking the atmosphere over the pole, now that it is spring there, and the ozone hole heals shut by summer. The ozone hole is a natural occurance, that occurs once a year at each pole. The southern polar hole is larger than the northern polar hole due to Earth's current magnetic alignment. The *size* of the hole is what is of concern... and something that the affairs of Man can play a part in. Ozone decays naturally with time. With the axial tilt that Earth has, once each year (local winter) each pole stops receiving the UV-C that turns some oxygen into ozone. So the ozone starts decaying, and a hole forms. The only ozone the pole gets at this time, diffuses in from areas that are still receiving UV-C. So the ozone would be exceedingly thin at this time. Add contaminants to the mix, and the amount of ozone drastically decreases. Water vapor (natural and Man-sourced), chlorine (most commonly Man-sourced, carried by CFCs), and bromine (most commonly natural, but likely some Man-sourced, carried form example in halon) all have shown abilities in depleting ozone. The ozone hole was discovered by Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin in 1985. But no reason to believe that it has not existed as long as Earth has had an ozone layer (to have a hole in), an axial tilt (for winter, loss of UV-C which makes ozone), and a magnetic field (to make one hole larger than the other). The concentration of ozone at any point is a balance of incident UV-C from the Sun (both making and destroying ozone), UV-B from the Sun (destroys ozone when absorbed), time, and compounds that can accelerate the decay of ozone. The ozone holes are a natural phenomenon, and some sort of "ozone hole" will form at the pole that is experiencing winter. As spring arrives, UV-C from the Sun arrives and makes ozone... "healing" or filling the hole. The issue with ozone depletion is how little ozone is in the "ozone layer", due to the effect of contaminants. These same contaminants control how big the hole is, how little ozone there is still left in the hole, and how long it takes to heal up. During winter, the atmosphere above the pole receives no UV-C from the Sun to make new ozone. So the ozone decays both naturally, and as a result of contaminants up in the atmosphere with it. So the equilibrium value of ozone above the pole depends on diffusion from adjacent areas that are still making ozone. Spring, summer, and fall, the ozone hole heals up, is essentially non-detect, then slowly starts forming again.


Where is the hole on the ozone layer?

*The ozone hole is centered on Antarctica, so for it to stretch all the way up to Australia, it would have to be quite large. That means that much of the Antarctic Ocean and the Southern parts of other oceans would be exposed, and these regions are very important to the world ecology. This might harm some species of plankton and other ocean plants and animals (David Palmer: for Ask an Astrophysicist). The ozone hole forms in the ozone layer above the pole that currently is having winter, has a size controlled by the contaminants that deplete ozone (some natural, some Manmade), and may be bigger than (for example) Antarctica. The largest ozone hole occurs over Antarctica, due to Earth's magnetic field directing more hydrogen there from the solar wind. More correctly, the Southern polar hole is formed when the Earth is farthest from the Sun, which reduces the amount of light available to form "fresh" ozone. The ozone "hole" is a thin spot with little ozone. The holes are located at the poles, and essentially disappear when there is summer in the hemisphere with that pole. So one at the South pole in "July" and a different smaller on at the North pole in "January". And they heal up entirely a few months later.