Record-thin ozone layer over Arctic
The ozone layer over the Arctic has never been as thin as this week.
According to atmospheric researcher Markus Rex from Germany´s Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, the current situation in the Arctic ozone layer is unparalleled. -Such massive ozone loss has so far never occurred in the northern hemisphere, he said at an international press conference organized by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in Vienna Tuesday.
The ozone-depleted air masses stretched from the North Pole to southern Scandinavia leading to higher than normal levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation during sunny days in southern Finland, a press release from the Alfred Wegner Institute reads.
The air masses are expected to move eastwards over the next few days, covering parts of Russia and perhaps extend as far south as the Chinese/Russian border. Ozone-depleted air may also occur over Central Europe and could reach as far south as the Mediterranean.
The ozone layer protects life on Earth’s surface from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation
