NEW YORK - NASA says this year's ozone hole over Antarctica is the fifth biggest on record, reaching a maximum area of 27.2 million square kilometres in September. That's considered "moderately large," according to NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman. NASA has tracked the size of the hole for 30 years. Last year, it was 25.12 million square kilometres - about the size of North America.
The hole is an area of depletion in the stratospheric ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from space.
Created by human-produced gases, the ozone hole generally forms in August and grows to its maximum size in September or October before breaking up.
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On the Net:
NASA's ozone hole watch: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov
