(CNN)The ozone hole that typically grows over the Antarctic each September and October has become one of the largest and deepest in recent years -- just one year after scientists recorded its smallest size since it was discovered.
The 2020 ozone hole grew rapidly from mid-August and had grown to about 9.2 million square miles when it peaked in early October, according to a statement from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
It then shrank to about 8.9 million square miles -- more than twice the size of the United States -- covering almost the entire Antarctic continent, the agency said.
The WMO's Global Atmosphere Watch program works closely with the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA, Environment and Climate Change Canada and other partners to monitor the Earth's ozone layer.
The ozone layer in our atmosphere protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.