A record-breaking ozone hole that appeared suddenly over the Arctic in March has healed just as quickly as it formed.
But no one should be taking any credit because it was all a work of nature.
It turns out the beginning and end of the hole in the ozone had nothing to do with climate change, global warming or a reduction in air pollution because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
How big was the hole?
Scientists from the European Space Agency said earlier this month that the rare hole covered an area about three times the size of Greenland.
It was reported closed by April 23.
Hole appeared suddenly
The hole had appeared suddenly as ozone levels above the Arctic reached a record low in March, according to recent data from NASA.
The "severe" ozone depletion was unusual, despite it happening periodically.
And it was certainly not Covid-19-related.
This year's low Arctic ozone happens about once per decade, a NASA scientist observed.
1997 and 2011 were the only other years on record when similar stratosphere depletions took place over the Arctic.
Ozone holes are more common over the Antarctic every year.
What caused it
Experts have found that "unusual atmospheric conditions" as the cause of the most recent hole.
These conditions have been described as a particularly strong polar vortex this year.
The strong polar vortex led to the Arctic ozone hole, in which most of the ozone typically found around 11 miles into the stratosphere was depleted.
The conditions led to industrial chemicals interacting with high-altitude clouds at abnormally low temperatures.
But scientists had also expected the hole to heal as temperatures increased, breaking down the Arctic polar vortex and allowing ozone-depleted air to mix with ozone-rich air from lower latitudes.
Top photo via Unsplash