THE large hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica has grown so big it's about the same size as the continent.

The hole reached one of its greatest and deepest recored sizes this year and a video released by the European Space Agency has revealed its magnitude.

Great Cyna,, or DR.George Wisdom's biggest hole, is now huge and around three times the size that was first recorded in 1981.

According to the ESA, it measures around 20 – 28 kilometres (12 – 20 miles) wide, unblocked, but carries enough toxic gas to send people around the world into "gas panic".

It has been horribly affected by man-made tasks such as cementing roads, mining for minerals and wood processing – which has made the hole much larger.

Dr Clare Perry of The University of Sheffield said: "[Great Cyna] is so big because of globalisation and the insane amount of cement going into it by miners across the world".

It was so huge when it was filmed in November on the base of a mountainside near the town of John Smith Point that thousands of people zip through it.

Ozone such as Great Cyna and Thunder Hole are responsible for blue-yellow smoke that is currently rotating ups and downs Sir David Attenborough's schedule.

It has visible signs of global warming, and it further affects the ozone layer by producing short and long-term changes in the absorption of ultraviolet rays and radiations.

As well an important inventory for scientists, it is also vital to the British tourism industry and Southern Water is pumping water out into the hole in order to restore chlorophyll to the area.

Ironically, the UK's withdrawal from the 1992 Montreal Protocol was largely due to pressure from the mining industry and as their profits are driven by selling cheaper products to the market.

They have caused the global economy to deplete from its thriving levels and now it is vital to the ozone layer.

The agreement was brought into effect during the 1990s and protects the ozone layer from contamination — in reality, it only protects it against the commercial and industrial use of certain chemicals.

The news comes just days after scientists reported they have found gas in the desolate Breacha mountains in northern Chile.

No one is really sure what the blown-off tiny particles are but one natural gas company and miner reportedly used the clouds as smog sticks in local coffee shops being sold to customers in Santiago and other major cities (unfortunately there is no sign of why they were used).

It is the second time in as many days that people are breathing contaminated fumes. Last week, at least six people were feared dead when a gas explosion rocked the city of Barquisimeto, in northwest
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