The Ozone Hole Is the Largest It’s Been in a Decade. The Reason May Surprise You — Live Feedhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/the-ozone-hole-is-the-largest-it-s-been-in-a-decade-the-reason-may-surprise-youContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. Antarctic ozone hole reaches largest size in a decade at 10.5 million square mileshttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/the-ozone-hole-is-the-largest-it-s-been-in-a-decade-the-reason-may-surprise-youhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/the-ozone-hole-is-the-largest-it-s-been-in-a-decade-the-reason-may-surprise-you#u190423Tue, 10 Nov 2026 07:57:53 +0000The 2026 ozone hole over Antarctica peaked at 10.5 million square miles on September 18, making it the largest reading in ten years and the seventh largest since monitoring began in 1978. Scientists attribute the expansion to an unusually powerful polar vortex that prolonged ozone depletion, not to increased emissions of ozone-depleting substances. Despite the annual fluctuation, long-term recovery of the ozone layer remains on track following the global phase-out of CFCs under the Montreal Protocol.Why it mattersThe ozone layer protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, and its hole o