2026 Antarctic Ozone Hole Widest in a Decade, Recovery Continues
WHO:
ABC News - NOAA and NASA issued a report on the Antarctic ozone hole.
ABC News - Amy Butler, a research scientist at NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, said the polar vortex was unusually large because planetary-scale weather systems that normally rise from the lower atmosphere and break it up were especially weak.
ABC News - Paul Newman, a senior scientist at the University of Maryland and longtime leader of NASA’s ozone research team, said the ozone hole would have been 1 to 2 million square miles larger if ozone-depleting substances were as prevalent as at their peak.
ABC News - The article describes ozone-depleting compounds as having been widely used in aerosol sprays, foams, air conditioners, and refrigerators.
WHAT:
ABC News - The 2026 ozone hole reached its greatest extent on September 18, measuring 10.5 million square miles.
ABC News - The Antarctic ozone hole was the largest in a decade and the seventh largest in 48 years of monitoring.
ABC News - The ozone hole reached a maximum extent of 10.5 million square miles, about 90% of the record size.
ABC News - The 2025 ozone hole ranked as the fifth smallest since 1992.
ABC News - NOAA and NASA scientists said long-term ozone recovery remains on track despite the larger ozone hole.
ABC News - The ozone hole is a region of the stratosphere with extremely low ozone concentrations, not an actual hole in the ozone layer.
ABC News - Earth’s ozone layer shields humans, animals, and plants from ultraviolet radiation; reduced ozone allows more UV rays to reach the surface and raises risks including crop damage, skin cancer, and cataracts.
WHERE:
ABC News - The ozone hole was over Antarctica.
NASA - The article identifies the subject as the Antarctic ozone hole.
WHY:
ABC News - Amy Butler said planetary-scale weather systems that normally break up the polar vortex were especially weak in August and September.
ABC News - An unusually powerful polar vortex prolonged ozone depletion and allowed the ozone hole to grow larger.
ABC News - The polar vortex’s size was attributed in part to unusually weak planetary-scale weather systems that typically disrupt it.
HOW:
ABC News - Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting compounds reduced ozone levels; researchers estimate the hole will recover by the 2070s as older compounds disintegrate.
ABC News - Newman said the ozone hole has been forming later in the season in recent years, which he said indicates that the ozone layer is healing.
NASA - The article’s subtitle says weather provided ideal conditions for enhanced ozone depletion.
(UPDATED November 4, 2026 23:03 UTC)
Antarctica’s ozone hole was the largest in a decade, reaching 10.5 million square miles. Weak weather systems allowed a powerful polar vortex to persist, prolonging ozone depletion. Scientists say long-term recovery remains on track, thanks to restrictions on ozone-depleting compounds.
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(UPDATED November 4, 2026 22:06 UTC)
Antarctica’s ozone hole grew to its largest extent in a decade, reaching 10.5 million square miles. An unusually strong polar vortex, fueled by weak weather systems, prolonged ozone depletion. Despite this year’s expansion, NOAA and NASA say long-term recovery remains on track.