Since the Coronavirus lockdown has been imposed in different parts of the world, we have seen many examples of nature blooming better. The lessened air pollution or the animals roaming out freely, as everyone calls it the earth is healing. And the statement stands exceptionally true as the largest hole in the ozone layer, above the Arctic, has been closed. This hole was first spotted in the month of March and was caused due to the unusual atmospheric conditions. But in nearly two months time, the hole has healed and that's certainly good news in these grim times. Ways to Save the Shield That Protects Earth From Sun's Ultraviolet Rays.

The said hole was about 1 million square kilometre wide. Had it moved southwards with the air currents, it would pose a threat to life on the planet. The Ozone layer is a region in the Earth’s stratosphere which absorbs the sun’s ultraviolet rays and provides a shield from the harmful radiations. These radiations can cause skin cancer amongst many other health risks. Due to the constant development, increasing pollution, chemical emissions, and other such man-made activities, this layer of the ozone layer were depleting. Copernicus' Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) tweeted that the largest ozone hole is now healed. Earth's Ozone Layer is Healing With Global Efforts, Reversing Southern Jet Stream Damage.

Check The Video Showing the Closing of the Ozone Hole:

The unprecedented 2020 northern hemisphere #OzoneHole has come to an end. The #PolarVortex split, allowing #ozone-rich air into the Arctic, closely matching last week's forecast from the #CopernicusAtmosphere Monitoring Service.

More on the NH Ozone hole➡️https://t.co/Nf6AfjaYRi pic.twitter.com/qVPu70ycn4

— Copernicus ECMWF (@CopernicusECMWF) April 23, 2020

Is it the lockdown effect which has caused this healing? As much as we would like to believe so, it isn't. "It is very unusual for such a strong ozone depletion to occur in the northern hemisphere, but this year's polar vortex was exceptionally strong and persistent, and temperatures were low enough to allow stratospheric clouds to form for several months," Copernicus scientist Antje Inness told Euronews.

The polar vortex, that is the expansion of the North Pole, sending cold air southwards brought in the healing. The high-altitude currents caused the concentration of more ozone-depleting chemicals than usual. The polar vortex this year was extremely powerful with cold temperatures. So stratospheric clouds were formed reacting with CFC gases and destroying the layer.  It is still a point of debate whether the cause was due to the climate change phenomenon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2020 12:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).