[tc4me]

So far the largest ozone hole over the Arctic closes

This is the positive effect of coronvirus, fewer planes and ships
 Cars on the move, largest ozone hole so far over the Arctic is closing

The largest hole ever observed in the ozone layer over the Arctic has closed. This was announced by the "Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service", the service of the European center for the medium-term weather forecast.

[Darth-Apple]

Scary times we're living in. I heard about the news too. Supposedly it's going to be resolving itself shortly, so hopefully that's the case.

[tc4me]

Weakened protective shield: The ozone layer over the Arctic is considerably thinner this spring than in previous years, as current measurements reveal. The ozone content of the arctic stratosphere has accordingly decreased by 18 percent. The cause is a strong cooling of the upper atmosphere above the pole, which increases the ozone depletion by chlorine compounds. It is still unclear whether the ozone loss will increase in the coming weeks.

[Guardian]

Coronavirus... kills thousands but ultimately saves the planet. That would be worth it I think.

[Darth-Apple]

Hopefully it's a wake up call.

At the end of the day, we all contribute to the environmental problem. I've started looking for ways that I can reduce my footprint (reducing electrical use, not leaving my car running, picking up trash when I see it outdoors, and so forth), but there is quite a bit more that needs to be done.

The problem also lies with manufacturing and power generation, and other various sources. I'd be interested to see statistics for what the carbon footprint looks like, and for how much individual factors contribute.

[Darvince]

The physical reason for the ozone hole over the Arctic this year has to do with the very strong and persistent polar vortex that stayed consistently centered near the north pole, allowing temperatures in the stratosphere to plummet to levels usually only found over Antarctica. The Arctic ozone hole isn't part of a trend that is getting worse, it is simply the vagaries of the weather combined with humanity's mostly past emission of ozone destroying chemicals.