Measurements taken by scientists from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) revealed that the ozone hole over Antarctica widened sharply in the first half of September.
The hole reached an area of 25 million square kilometers on September 12, which is about 5 million square kilometers above the average for this period.
In August, the hole was developing at a "normal" rate, reaching about 15 million square kilometers, but it suddenly expanded at the beginning of September.
Laurence Rowell, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said: "These results highlight the importance of monitoring the complex interaction between human-made disturbances and natural factors."
The ozone layer protects life on Earth by absorbing much of the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun, which is a major cause of skin cancers.
For nearly half a century, human emissions have thinned the ozone layer, a thinning that is most visible over Antarctica, where the hole is reopened every southern spring (September to November).
Researchers believe that the reason behind this sudden expansion is a sharp drop in temperatures, as the cold weather allows polar clouds to form in the stratosphere (the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere), which play a role in activating the chemical removal of ozone via "halogens" (a family of very active chemicals, the most famous of which are chlorine, fluorine, and iodine) in the presence of sunlight.
Rowell added: "The evolution of the ozone hole over Antarctica can vary greatly from year to year, depending on a range of atmospheric and chemical factors. While we saw its area increase rapidly in early September this year, other indicators remain close to historical averages."
This news comes shortly after the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) confirmed that August 2026 was the hottest August on record globally, with an average temperature of 16.96°C, surpassing the previous record set in July 2023 (16.95°C). Last month also saw the highest average sea surface temperature ever recorded, a clear indication of a strengthening El Niño phenomenon.
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