Ozone hole over Antarctica grows to record size

The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has grown to a record size, but the growth may not signal a trend, said Chilean scientists on Tuesday.

The ozone hole covers an area of 10 million square km, more than double the average usually registered this time of year, said researchers from the University of Santiago and the Chilean Antarctic Institute.

This month's measurements were probably linked to the low temperatures registered in the stratosphere this season, and did not necessarily represent a change in trend, said Raul Cordero, a scientist from the institute.

Cordero and Alessandro Damiani reported December's satellite readings after traveling to the Union Glacier Joint Scientific Polar Station located 1,000 km from the South Pole.

The depletion of the ozone layer is usually more evident at higher altitudes, especially in Antarctica, during spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

Scientists hope the agreements reached at the recent climate change talks in Paris will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow the ozone layer to recover by mid-century. Endi