******On March 15th, 2011 a new hole in the ozone layer was discovered over the north pole and some countries in northern latitudes, Iceland for example. What effect does this have on these countries and the people who live there? The uv factor for these areas is reportedly relatively low, when compared to places along the equator. Is this due to the low angle of the sun’s rays in the north? ******
There’s always at least some ozone hole over both poles. It’s only a worry once it starts getting big. And the Antarctic one is bigger, because the conditions that cause it depend on temperature (that’s why they’re polar to begin with), and Antarctica is colder.
I was under the impression that the hole over Antarctica bigger because during its summer it’s 5 million kilometers closer to the sun than the North Pole is during its summer.
If closeness to the sun was the cause of holes in the ozone layer then I’d expect those holes to show up in the equatorial regions rather than the poles.
Thisarticle claims the Ozone hole is on the mend.
Yes, during the winter months the angle of the sun is too low for too much UV. But already in April, when it got warmer, the metereologists warned us of going outside without sunscreen, as the combination of very big hole in the ozone layer with winter-used skin gives very quick sunburn and sun-damage, much earlier than people suspect. Already in May, we have 80% of the UV amount of summer in Germany, but people still think it’s just spring sun and don’t take care.