NASA explains latest ozone trends beyond Antarctica - EXCLUSIVE
CE Report presents an exclusive interview with Dr. Paul Newman, a senior scientist with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and leader of the ozone research team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. In the interview, Newman discusses the 2025 Antarctic ozone hole, the scientific methods used to study it, the impact of the Montreal Protocol, and the outlook for ozone layer recovery.
What scientific methods and measurement tools (satellites, balloons, models) were used to confirm the 2025 ozone hole size and seasonal behavior?
The ozone hole’s area is calculated from daily NASA global satellite images observed from the TOMS/OMI/OMPS instruments aboard NASA and NOAA satellites since 1978. The daily calculated values are averaged over the peak period of the Austral spring depletion period in the Antarctic region. See above web link for a plot of these averaged values (black dots) along with the range of values that go into the average (grey bar). The thin horizontal line on the graph shows the 2025 value.
To what extent can the 2025 reduction be attributed to the Montreal Protocol compared to this year’s unusual atmospheric conditions?
Based upon our understanding of the chemistry and dynamics of the Antarctic ozone hole, we calculate that the average area has declined by approximately 2.6 million km2 between 2000 and 2025.
Are scientists observing similar recovery trends in other regions of the stratosphere beyond Antarctica?
Ozone recovery has been observed in the upper stratosphere. See Figure ES-5 in https://ozone.unep.org/system/files/documents/Scientific-Assessment-of-Ozone-Depletion-2022-Executive-Summary.pdf
What challenges or risks could slow down or reverse ozone layer recovery in the coming decades?
Extensive use of ozone-depleting substances could reverse this positive trend.
Are there any updated projections on when the ozone layer is expected to fully recover to pre-1980 levels?
The “Scientific Assessment of the Ozone Layer Depletion: 2026” is currently being written and will provide new estimates for ozone recovery next December.
Photo: Wikipedia
This interview was prepared by Julian Müller
