Ozone Hole Above Antarctica Is Smallest On Record, But There's A Catch

The stratospheric ozone layer helps deflect incoming ultraviolet radiation from the sun, shielding life on Earth from its harmful effects, such as skin cancer, cataracts and damage to plants.The Antarctic ozone hole hit its smallest annual peak on record since tracking began in 1982, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA announced Monday. Although we're making progress in cutting down on the use of ozone-depleting chemicals, the milestone doesn't mean we've solved the problem, the agencies cautioned. Instead, scientists attribute the relatively tiny ozone hole to unusually mild temperatures in that layer of the atmosphere