The ozone hole larger than in Europe , European Space Agency estimates . It covers area of about 27 million square kilometers . This year , the size of the thinned area reached about 27 million square kilometers ( 10.4 million square miles ) , compared to 25 million square kilometers ( 9.65 million square miles ) in 2007 . Ozone layer acts as a sunlight filter , shielding Earth from some ultraviolet rays .
The ozone hole larger than in Europe , European Space Agency estimates . It covers area of about 27 million square kilometers . Ozone layer acts as a sunlight filter , shielding Earth from some ultraviolet rays .