September's ozone hole was the biggest in 20 years

Phys · Sep 25, 2026 · 788 words · By Hannah E Kessenich; Annika Seppälä; Dan Smale

Environmental Science Meteorology Climate Policy

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What to know about Environmental Science

The article reports on the 2026 Antarctic ozone hole, noting it was one of the largest in two decades due to atmospheric dynamics and cold temperatures. It explains the science behind ozone depletion, the role of the Montreal Protocol, and the resulting weather impacts on Australia and New Zealand.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

September's ozone hole was the biggest in 20 years Swati Mestri Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Chief Editor The area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole peaked at more than 27 million square kilometers (10.4 million square miles) in September, the…

Why it matters

We first predicted a severe ozone hole in May this year, when we observed changes in atmospheric circulation.

Common ground

A very strong polar vortex and cold temperatures over the pole are driving the ozone hole's early and rapid growth.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Environmental Science story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Its area of 27.4 million square kilometers (10.6 million square miles) has been exceeded only twice: In 2000, the ozone hole briefly reached more than 28 million square kilometers (10.8 million square miles), and in 2015, it peaked in October at 27.9 million square kilometers (10.8 million square miles)?
How does this story connect Environmental Science with Meteorology over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-september-ozone-hole-biggest-years.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

info Single Source 2

schedule Pending 2

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info

Claim 1: “Its area of 27.4 million square kilometers (10.6 million square miles) has been exceeded only twice: In 2000, the ozone hole briefly reached more than 28 million square kilometers (10.8 million square miles), and in 2015, it peaked in October at 27.9 million square kilometers (10.8 million square miles).”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the 27.4 million sq km figure is corroborated, the specific detail that it has been exceeded only twice (2000 and 2015) with those specific numbers is not independently corroborated by other sources in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The ozone hole is not a hole, and it is not fixed. Every spring a region of severely thinned ozone opens over Antarctica. This film explains why: long-lived CFCs, the polar vortex, clouds that form be…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmlV4-xLFSQ

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Antarctic ozone hole reached 27.4 million km² in September 2026, among the largest recorded, but its ozone loss was less severe than in some similarly large years.
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-september-ozone-hole-biggest-y…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On Sept. 20, the Antarctic ozone hole peaked at 10.6 million square miles (27.4 million square kilometers), the second-largest size ever observed for this time of the year.Antarctica's 2026 ozone hole…
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/antarctica/the-ozon…

verified

Claim 2: “the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987”

VERIFIED

The signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 is a widely documented historical fact confirmed by multiple sources and cross-references.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty aimed at phasing out substances that deplete the ozone layer. It was signed on September 16, 1987, during a meeting in Montreal, Canada.
https://brainly.com/question/45853809

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 1.The Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987, is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).As a result…
https://brainly.in/question/51572296

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — After the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, the world joined forces to protect the ozone layer, vital to life on Earth. This agreement has enabled the atmosphere to begin to heal.
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/montral-protocol-1987

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 3: “the second-largest area ever observed for this time of year”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (The Conversation, Live Science, and another web search result) explicitly state that the September 2026 ozone hole was the second-largest ever observed for that time of year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories, of which it is by far the largest by area. It comprises the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Antarctic_Territory

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Peter John Barrett (11 August 1940 – 26 September 2026) was a New Zealand geologist who came to prominence after discovering the first tetrapod fossils in Antarctica in 1967.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Barrett_(geologist)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following events occurred in September 1904:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1904

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “the 2026 ozone hole hasn't reached the depths of other large ozone holes in the past”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm that while the 2026 hole was large in area, it did not reach the depths of previous large ozone holes, meaning less overall ozone was missing.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of events occurring in Antarctica in 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Antarctica

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a nati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a region of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. It is the largest sector of Antarctica by area claimed by any country and was tra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Antarctic_Territory

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 5: “the Antarctic ozone hole is projected to reach full recovery before 2090.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “From 2020 to 2023, we experienced a run of other large and long-lasting Antarctic ozone holes.”

CORROBORATED

Both The Conversation and a separate web search result confirm a run of large and long-lasting Antarctic ozone holes from 2020 to 2023.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A severe ozone hole in 2026 isn’t entirely unexpected. Since 2020, we have experienced a run of other large and long-lasting Antarctic ozone holes during the years from 2020 to 2023.
https://theconversation.com/septembers-ozone-hole-was-the-bi…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — That was a common explanation for the remarkably large and long-lived Antarctic ozone hole in 2020, “an outlier”.By looking at detailed, daily ozone observations from the last 19 years, we found evide…
https://communities.springernature.com/posts/unravelling-rec…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — This reveals the recent, large ozone holes may not be caused just by chlorofluorocarbons,” the researchers said. Considering ozone-modulating factors, the 2022 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion…
https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/business-of-life/antarc…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 7: “The area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole peaked at more than 27 million square kilometers (10.4 million square miles) in September”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm the Antarctic ozone hole peaked at 27.4 million square kilometers (10.6 million square miles) in September 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Peninsula

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Row…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroic_Age_of_Antarctic_Explor…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “Smoke from the Australian wildfires in 2019–20 and aerosols from the 2021 La Soufrière eruption in the Caribbean have been linked to worsened ozone depletion in those years.”

SINGLE SOURCE

This specific link between the 2019-20 Australian wildfires/2021 La Soufrière eruption and ozone depletion is only mentioned in one source (The Conversation).

compare_arrows

cross reference SUPPORTS — Smoke from the Australian wildfires in 2019-20 and aerosols from the 2021 La Soufrière eruption in the Caribbean have been linked to worsened ozone depletion in those years.
https://theconversation.com/septembers-ozone-hole-was-the-bi…

schedule

Claim 9: “Following a severe ozone hole, a climate pattern called the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) shifts toward its positive phase”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “This year's ozone hole started growing earlier than average in August”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including one citing Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service data, confirm the 2026 ozone hole started growing earlier than usual in August.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Antarctica ( ) is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 11: “The eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai submarine volcano in 2022 led to an early start to the 2023 ozone hole season.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the claim regarding the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption's effect on the 2023 ozone hole.

check_circle

Claim 12: “The levels of ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere have dropped by about a third since their peak around 2000.”

CORROBORATED

The claim that ozone-depleting substances have dropped by about a third since their peak around 2000 is reported by both The Conversation and a separate web search result.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) is a cloud that forms in the winter polar stratosphere at altitudes from 15,000 to 25,000 m (49,000 to 82,000 ft). They are best observed during civil twilight, when …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_stratospheric_cloud

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The stratosphere is the second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. Pronounced , the name originates from Ancient Greek στρωτός (strōtós) 'layer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratosphere

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) is a proposed method of solar geoengineering (or solar radiation modification) to reduce global warming. This would introduce aerosols into the stratosphere to cr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injectio…

+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.