Ozone hole over Antarctica was 5th biggest

'Moderately large' size reached peak in September, NASA reports

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updated 3:35 p.m. ET Nov. 5, 2008

NEW YORK - This year's ozone hole over Antarctica was the fifth biggest on record, reaching a maximum area of 10.5 million square miles in September, NASA says.

That's considered "moderately large," NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman said in a statement.

NASA has tracked the size of the hole for 30 years. Last year, it was 9.7 million square miles, about the size of North America.

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The hole is an area of depletion in the stratospheric ozone layer, which blocks harmful ultraviolet rays from space. Created by human-produced gases, the ozone hole generally forms in August and grows to its maximum size in September or October before breaking up.