Published Paper Details:

This unique study critically re-examines the widely accepted notion of the so-called “ozone hole,” a concept that has been a major global environmental concern for decades. Based on factual evidence, theoretical principles, and rigorous scientific reasoning, it is demonstrated that the concept of ozone depletion largely arises from the inherent limitations and inaccuracies of measurement instruments, methodologies, and interpretations. A careful analysis of the scientific processes governing the formation and destruction of stratospheric ozone reveals natural balance within the Chapman cycle, thereby challenging conventional conclusions. Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation up to 290 nm (290 nanometer = 2900 Å = 2.9×10-7 m) is effectively absorbed by stratospheric oxygen and ozone. Molecular oxygen (O₂) undergoes photolysis to yield atomic oxygen, which recombines with O₂ to form ozone (O₃). Ozone itself is continuously destroyed through photolysis and spontaneous reactions (O + O₃ → 2O₂; O₃ + O₃ → 3O₂). This continuous cycle is active only in the presence of the Sun’s UV radiation. And this megacycle benefits our Earth in many ways, both directly and indirectly. Instead, increased UV radiation at specific geographic regions (Antarctica, Arctic, Tibet, Greenland, Himalayas, Alaska, etc.) is attributed to extremely low temperatures and exceptionally clean atmospheric conditions, not to the destruction of the ozone layer. Thus, the term “ozone hole” should be interpreted as enhanced UV radiation, rather than actual ozone loss. UV radiation is classified on a health basis, not on the basis of ozone absorption or any instrument-specific measurement principle. Accordingly, it is divided into three categories: UV-A (315–400 nm), UV-B (280–315 nm), and UV-C (100–280 nm). Among these, UV-C is the most harmful, but it is completely blocked by the oxygen–ozone shield. UV-B partially reaches the Earth’s surface and plays a crucial role in vitamin-D synthesis, while UV-A, though less harmful, reaches the surface almost entirely, with its intensity modulated primarily by other atmospheric constituents. In the primary stage, the oxygen layer absorbs extremely short-wavelength solar UV radiation, leading, as a consequence, to the formation of ozone in the secondary stage. In this secondary stage, the ozone layer absorbs, interferes with, attenuates, blocks, scatters, reflects, and refracts UV radiation with wavelengths shorter than 290 nm. As a result, biologically destructive UV-C radiation is fully eliminated before reaching the surface. Modern scientific understanding has now almost firmly established that UV radiation beyond 290 nm is controlled predominantly by other atmospheric components, such as aerosols, OH, H₂O, SO₂, NO₂, CO₂, and related species. In this wavelength region, the influence of the ozone or oxygen layers is negligible, and therefore it is scientifically untenable to infer ozone concentration by measuring variations in UV intensity beyond 290 nm using instrument-based measurement principles. In conclusion, the stratospheric oxygen– ozone system functions as a natural protective umbrella for life on Earth. The perceived “ozone hole” does not represent true depletion, but rather reflects natural variations in UV radiation and limitations of measurement interpretations. The objective of this research is not to weaken environmental protection policies, but to correct pseudo-scientific narratives and establish a rigorous, fact-based scientific foundation for atmospheric studies