A Small Double Ozone Hole in 2002

As expected, the ozone hole near Earth's South Pole is back again this year.
This time, however, it's smaller than the past two years, and has an unusual
double lobe structure. Ozone is important because it shields us from damaging
ultraviolet sunlight. Ozone is vulnerable, though, to CFCs and halons being
released into the atmosphere. International efforts to reduce the use of
these damaging chemicals appear to be having a positive effect on their
atmospheric abundance. The smaller size of the ozone hole this year, however,
is attributed mostly to warmer than normal air in the surrounding stratosphere.
The above picture of the ozone hole was taken on September 24, 2002
by TOMS on board the orbiting Earth Probe satellite.