Ozone Hole Slowly Shrinks, Planet Pretends To Care Until Next Summer
KEY POINTS
- •The 2025 Antarctic ozone hole was the fifth smallest since 1992, when the Montreal Protocol kicked off.
- •The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned CFCs found in refrigerants and aerosol cans, helping shrink the hole gradually.
- •Atmospheric scientist Laura Revell noted climate factors like wildfires and volcanic eruptions affect hole size annually.
- •NASA-NOAA reports the ozone hole peaked at 8.83 million square miles on Sept. 9, smaller than historic highs.
The 2025 Antarctic ozone hole came in as the fifth smallest since 1992, making it basically the vintage tiny hole of stratospheric science, thanks to the ’87-born Montreal Protocol outlawing CFCs in everything from aerosol cans to grandma’s 80s insulation nightmare. According to the NASA-NOAA horror saga, the hole was 7.23 million sq miles on average, roughly twice the size of the US but surprisingly smaller than its 2000 vintage peak. Laura Revell blames weather tantrums like wildfires and volcanoes for ozone drama, while Paul Newman from NASA—no relation to the actor, sadly—says the hole now lounges like a late-season polar vortex diva rather than a raging party wrecking beast. If the stratosphere was a club, chlorine would have been kicked out 25 years ago, shrinking the hole by over a million square miles. The hole’s big breakup party isn’t until sometime in the 2060s, assuming space launches don’t throw a wrench in the recovery plan.
Share the Story
Turns out banning aerosol sprays and old-school fridge chemicals actually worked. Who knew saving the planet involved less toxic spray and more global tattling?
The ozone hole is shrinking because we stopped spraying chemicals like it’s 1987 and cans were a style statement, not a death sentence.
NASA scientists reporting the ozone hole is getting smaller is basically nature’s way of saying, 'I’m taking my vitamins, okay?'
Source: Axios | Published: 11/26/2025 | Author: Rebecca Falconer
More Articles in Science
CES 2026: The World’s Largest Tech Flex in the Las Vegas Desert
America Adds 50,000 Jobs, But Those 70,000 Stayed Home for Holidays
Sydney Sweeney's $1M Flop, Trump-Approved Jeans & Bathwater Soap Fiasco
SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Has Midlife Crisis, Explodes Dramatically
Scientists Officially Declare Adulthood Brain Is Just Long Teenage Brain Saga
Leonids Showers: Stargaze Naps & Smoke Trails, Not Meteorites
Bezos' New Glenn: Rocket Spat Out Mars, Slurped Booster Back
Salmon Farms: Feeding Billions or Fishy Ethics Drama?
