There have been conflicting reports about whether Antarctica is warming up or cooling down. Now scientists have discovered that this has been caused by the ozone hole.
Changing wind patterns triggered by the ozone hole are causing some areas to warm while others cool, according to a new study by David Thompson of Colorado State University. Thompson says that the ozone hole has become “the largest and most significant” cause of climate change on the ice continent.
The climate around Antarctica is dominated by strong westerly winds that swirl around a giant vortex of cold air that forms over the continent for much of the year. This polar vortex stretches from the ground into the stratosphere.
In the past 20 years, pollution has destroyed much of the ozone layer over Antarctica. That in turn has cooled the stratosphere by as much as 10
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