Q31 The formation of ozone hole in the Antarctic region has been a cause of concern. What is the reason for the formation of this hole?
b) Presence of prominent polar front and stratospheric clouds; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons.
31 Ans B
Explanation: In winter, the stratosphere above the Antarctic continent gets colder than it does anywhere else on Earth. Temperatures frequently drop below -112ºF. Antarctica is also one of the windiest places on Earth. In May and June, strong winds in the stratosphere begin to blow clockwise around the continent. These howling stratospheric winds gradually form an enormous ring of moving air, called the Antarctic polar vortex, that swirls around and around, far above the frozen land.
During the winter, temperatures inside the Antarctic polar vortex fall so low that water vapour and several other types of molecules in the stratosphere condense into extremely small icy particles. These icy particles, in turn, make up polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). When the sun sets in the Antarctic around the end of March each year, its disappearance marks the beginning of a long, dark winter. Once the last rays of sunlight have faded away, temperatures on land and in the air fall very quickly.
In the stratosphere, high-altitude winds that create the polar vortex begin to blow around the continent. Isolated from warmer air outside the vortex, the air inside gets colder and colder. Eventually, it is cold enough for PSCs to form. And that is when the trouble really begins