A new study demonstrates that the recovery of the Antarctic Ozone Hole causes decreases in clouds over Southern Hemisphere (SH) high latitudes and increases in clouds over the SH extratropics. The decrease in clouds leads to a reduction in downward infrared radiation, especially in austral autumn. This results in cooling of the Southern Ocean surface and increasing Antarctic sea ice.
Observational records show that stratospheric ozone declined prior to the late 1990s, and an abrupt 50% reduction in the Antarctic stratospheric ozone layer occurred during September to November each year, the result of which is commonly known as the 'ozone hole'. Since then, stratospheric ozone started to stabilize, and has even slowly increased in the early part of the 21st century, especially in the polar regions.
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