Animations of the 2005 Antarctic Ozone Hole now available

[jpak]

http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Ozone depletion begins at the "edges" of the continent as the sun rises above the horizon at the beginning of the austral spring.

As the sun rises higher in the sky each day, ozone depletion rapidly deepens over the continent in August.

The Polar Vortex causes the Hole to "spin" and change shape. Masses of ozone depleted air rotate over the Southern Ocean exposing the surface to enhanced fluxes of UVB radiation.

In early October 2005, an area severely depleted ozone reached South America and the South Atlantic.

As the stratosphere warmed in December, the Hole dissapated...