Study reveals delay in recovery of ozone layer and increase in surface UV radiation.

According to a new study published in Advances in Atmospheric SciencesOzone is not healing as quickly as expected, resulting in higher levels of surface UV radiation in recent years.

Despite predictions that the ozone layer will fully recover by mid-century, researchers found higher levels of UV radiation in the tropics and mid-northern latitudes after 2010, posing risks to human health and the environment.

“Our analysis shows perturbed ozone levels and increased surface UV radiation for more than a decade after 2010,” said senior researcher Yan Xia from Beijing Normal University. “The slow recovery of stratospheric ozone is highly unexpected.”

The team analyzed satellite data and simulation models to assess long-term changes in ozone levels and surface ultraviolet radiation around the world. “We observed a decrease in ozone levels and an increase in ultraviolet radiation over latitudes between 30 degrees south -60 degrees north after 2010,” said Xia. “Especially in the Northern Hemisphere, the increased volume of surface UV radiation from 2011 to 2020 was 0.5-1.4% per year – and this should not be neglected.”

“Continuous monitoring of ozone and UV levels is important to better understand why ozone recovery has been delayed and whether this trend will continue,” Xia warned. “Policy makers and the public must be aware of and prepare for the harmful effects of UV radiation on the environment, agriculture, and public health.”

The results are a sobering reminder that ozone layer recovery is a complex process affected by factors such as global warming – and full recovery remains uncertain. Ongoing research and implementation of policies such as the Montreal Protocol is critical to reversing this deteriorating trend, reducing UV exposure, and protecting life on Earth in the coming decades.