WMO Bulletin: Ozone Layer Recovery Gains, Challenges

The Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 was one of the smallest in decades - testimony to the continuing success of international action to protect the Earth's ozone layer which shields us against the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

In welcome news, the WMO Ozone Bulletin said that last year's ozone hole ranked as the fourth to fifth smallest since severe depletion patterns were observed in 1992. This is the second consecutive year that both the depth and extent of the ozone hole were significantly below the 1990-2010 average.

ear-to-year fluctuations are influenced by large-scale meteorological transport conditions which drive springtime ozone depletion, an event that occurs after almost every austral winter above Antarctica, and every 5 to 10 years in the northern hemisphere.