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This year's ozone hole over Antarctica was the fifth biggest on record, reaching a maximum area of 10.5 million square miles in September, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
That's considered "moderately large," NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman said in a statement.
NASA has tracked the size of the hole for 30 years. Last year, it was 9.7 million square miles, about the size of North America.
The hole is an area of depletion in the stratospheric ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from space. Created by human-produced gases, the ozone hole generally forms in August and grows to its maximum size in September or October before breaking up.
Since the ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet light from the Sun, ozone layer depletion is expected to increase surface ultraviolet levels, which could lead to damage, including increases in skin cancer. The radiation may also negatively impact crops and animals.
