Smoke particles from Wildfires can Erode Ozone Layer
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Wildfire smoke that rises to the stratosphere can trigger chemical reactions that erode the protective ozone layer shielding Earth from the Sun’s damaging ultraviolet radiation, new research finds. The MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) team identified a new chemical reaction by which smoke particles from the Australian wildfires made ozone depletion worse. By triggering this reaction, the fires likely contributed to a 3-5 per cent depletion of total ozone at mid-latitudes in the southern hemisphere, in regions overlying Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Africa and South America. The researchers’ model also indicates the fires had an effect in the Polar Regions, eating away at the edges of the ozone hole over Antarctica. By late 2020, smoke particles from the Australian wildfires widened the Antarctic ozone hole by 2.5 million square kilometres 10 per cent of its area compared to the previous year.
