Highest ozone layer depletion ever

Ozone measurements made by the agency's Envisat satellite showed a loss of 40 million tons in October, exceeding the previous record of 39 million tons set in 2000, according to a press release issued by the agency.

Ozone loss is calculated by measuring the area and depth of the so-called ozone hole in the stratosphere, about 15 miles above Earth's surface.

This year's ozone hole measures 10.81 million square miles, which is nearly as large as in 2000, and the depth of the ozone hole is 100 Dobson units, a measurement of the thickness of the layer, which rivals a record set in 1990, ESA said.