Smoke from historic wildfires in Australia a few years ago widened the Antarctic ozone hole by millions of square kilometres, a recent study has found.
They found that chlorine-containing compounds, first released by factories as chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, could react with fire smoke, creating a chemical reaction that produces chlorine monoxide, described by the researchers as "the ultimate ozone-depleting molecule."
Using three independent sets of satellite data, the scientists discovered that in the months after the Australian wildfires, concentrations of hydrochloric acid dropped significantly at mid-latitudes, while chlorine monoxide levels spiked. Chlorine can't destroy ozone if it is in the form of hydrochloric acid. But if hydrochloric acid breaks apart, the researchers say chlorine can react with oxygen to form chlorine monoxide.
"The fact that hydrochloric acid at mid-latitudes dropped by this unprecedented amount was to me kind of a danger signal," Solomon said.
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