The Antarctic ozone hole reached its annual peak on Sept. 12, spreading wide during the Southern Hemisphere spring. The ozone hole stretched to 10.05 million square miles, recording the ninth largest ozone hole so far. Above the South Pole, the ozone hole reached its deepest point of the season on Oct. 9, tying this year for the 10th lowest in this 26-year record.

Using balloon-borne instruments, ground-based instruments and satellites, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) monitor the annual Antarctic ozone hole, global levels of ozone in the stratosphere and the manmade chemicals that contribute to ozone depletion.

"The colder than average temperatures in the stratosphere this year caused a larger than average ozone hole," said Paul Newman, chief scientist for atmospheres at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

"Even though it was relatively large, the area of this year's ozone hole was within the range we'd expect given the levels of manmade ozone-depleting chemicals that continue to persist in the atmosphere."

Lifted from NASA press release.

NASA