Happy International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer! Sad to say, the hole that plagues the ozone is already bigger this year than last, and will likely not max out in size until late September or early October. As of Saturday, the hole measured 10.4 million square miles; last year, at its biggest, it was 9.7 million square miles. While a gash bigger than North America might seem somewhat concerning, David Parsons of the World Meteorological Organization assures, “You can have strong annual variations, due to changes in weather, colder temperatures in the stratosphere, and increased water vapor. … It’s important to keep your eye on the long-term trend, which is that the ozone hole is moving toward recovery.” Experts expect the ozone to fully recover by 2075, which is even farther away than the end of election season. Hard to imagine, we know.
