The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
The ozone hole over the Antarctic has reached its maximum annual size and is one of the largest and deepest in recent years, WMO warned.
The ozone hole over the Antarctic has reached its 2020 peak and is one of the largest holes of recent years, the World Meteorological Organisation announced today (6 October) at the United Nations in Geneva. The finding is based on observations by the European Union’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
Speaking to the journalists, Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said that the “European Union’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service this morning issued a press release saying that the ozone hole over the Antarctic - which is an annual event – it’s one of the largest and one of the deepest in recent years”.
Each year in August, at the start of the Antarctic Spring, the ozone hole begins to grow and reaches its peak around October.
Ozone depletion over the Antarctic continent was first spotted in 1985. Over the last 35 years various measures have been introduced to reduce the hole such as the “Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer”, an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering.
Despite the growing hole, experts are confident that since the restrictions on ozone-destroying halocarbons was introduced via the Montreal Protocol, the hole has slowly been recovering. Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels in 2060.
“The Montreal Protocol, which effectively phased out ozone-eating substances, is one of the most effective successful environmental treaties of all time. We cannot, however, be complacent”, warned WMO’s Clare Nullis.
Ozone depletion relies on extremely cold temperatures. Therefore, the colder the temperature in the stratosphere over Antarctica, the bigger the ozone hole.
“The air has been below minus 78 degrees Celsius and this is the temperature which you need to form stratospheric clouds and this quite complex process”, according to Clare Nullis. “But basically, the ice in these clouds triggers a reaction which then can destroy the ozone zone. So, it’s because of that that we are seeing the big ozone hole this year”.
Scientists are predicting that the ozone hole in spring will become smaller and recover as a seasonal event.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- Wide shot, podium with speakers in a near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, side shot, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “European Union’s Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service this morning issued a press release saying that the ozone hole over the Antarctic - which is an annual event – it’s one of the largest and one of the deepest in recent years”.
- Medium shot, journalist sitting with mask and laptop, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The Montreal Protocol which effectively phased out ozone eating substances, it is one of the most effective successful environmental treaties of all time. We cannot, however, be complacent”.
- Medium shot, spokespeople in Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Clare Nullis, Spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO): “The air has been below minus 78 degrees Celsius and this is the temperature which you need to form stratospheric clouds and this quite complex process. But basically, the ice in these clouds triggers a reaction which then can destroy the ozone zone. So, it’s because of that that we are seeing the big ozone hole this year”.
- Medium shot, UN staff sitting and listening, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Close up, hands writing
- Wide shot, podium
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
Demining experts from around the world have been sharing their collective shock at the widespread and growing threat from unexploded ordnance, the new head of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office in Syria conducted a 5-day visit to the northeast of the country where they received accounts of human rights violations and abuses.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Sudan: ‘History repeating itself’ for Darfur’s children - UNICEF
Mass atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur 20 years ago reverberated as far as Hollywood, but today, a new generation of children faces attacks, hunger and displacement in an emergency largely ignored by the outside world, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNMAS
Desperate and dangerous conditions in Gaza continue to hamper recovery efforts for the wartorn enclave's people, the UN health agency said on Friday, while demining experts warned that they’ve “barely scratched the surface” in assessing the level of contamination of unexploded ordnance.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News
The continued support of UN Member States to Lebanon will be “indispensable” to boost the country’s national armed forces and provide humanitarian assistance with more than one million people still uprooted by the Middle East war, the UN's peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNECE
Middle East war: After oil and gas shortages, concerns grow over critical minerals crunch
The shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz caused by war in the Middle East has exposed a new threat: a looming shortage of strategic minerals needed to drive economies all over the world and a race by countries to obtain them.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Millions of desperate Sudanese return home amid dire conditions as war rages – IOM
Three years into the devastating conflict in Sudan, nearly four million displaced people have returned to their places of origin across the country, only to face “another struggle for survival”, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNESCO
UNESCO protects cultural sites in war-torn Middle East, confirming damage to key heritage.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
The war in Gaza has inflicted a far higher toll on women and girls than in previous conflicts in the Palestinian enclave, with more than 38,000 killed by Israeli air bombardment and land military operations since Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel sparked the war in October 2023, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
In 2025, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, making it the deadliest year on record in South and Southeast Asia, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.