Ozone hole over Antarctica larger than usual, scientists say

Scientists say the Southern Hemisphere ozone hole is larger than usual and already surpasses the size of Antarctica

BERLIN -- Scientists say the hole in the Earth’s protective ozone layer over the Southern Hemisphere is larger than usual this year and already surpasses the size of Antarctica.

The European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said Thursday that the so-called ozone hole, which appears every year during the Southern Hemisphere spring, has grown considerably in the past week following an average start.

“Forecasts show that this year´s hole has evolved into a rather larger than usual one,” said Vincent-Henri Peuch, who heads the EU's satellite monitoring service.

“We are looking at a quite big and potentially also deep ozone hole,” he said.