03
14
interlinked
destruction
higher temperatures, polar
stratospheric clouds
and a changing climate
The causes and effects of the depletion of the ozone layer and climate
change are seen by scientists, policy makers and the private sector
as being inextricably linked in complex ways. Changes in temperature
and other natural and human-induced climatic factors such as cloud
cover, winds and precipitation impact directly and indirectly on the
scale of the chemical reactions that fuel destruction of the ozone in the
The fact that ozone absorbs solar radiation qualifies it, Stratospheric cooling creates a more favourable environment
on the other hand, as a greenhouse gas (GHG), much for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds, which are a key
as carbon dioxide (CO
2
), methane (CH
4
) and nitrous ox- factor in the development of polar ozone holes. Cooling of the
ide (N
2
O). Stratospheric ozone depletion and increases stratosphere due to the build-up of GHGs and associated cli-
in ozone near the Earth’s surface (tropospheric ozone) mate change is therefore likely to exacerbate destruction of the
in recent decades contribute to climate change. Simi- ozone layer. The troposphere and stratosphere are not independ-
larly the build-up of anthropogenic GHGs, including ent of one another. Changes in the circulation and chemistry of
ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and their replace- one can affect the other. Changes in the troposphere associated
ments (in particular HFCs), enhances warming of the with climate change may affect functions in the stratosphere.
lower atmosphere, or troposphere (where weather sys- Similarly changes in the stratosphere due to ozone depletion
tems occur), and is also expected, on balance, to lead can affect functions in the troposphere in intricate ways that
to cooling of the stratosphere. make it difficult to predict the cumulative effects.
ARCTIC OZONE DEPLETION AND STRATOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
ARCTIC OZONE DEPLETION AND STRATOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE
Total ozone above the Arctic Stratospheric temperature
Dobson units Degrees Celsius
520 -48
500 -50
Ozone
450 -55
400 -60
“Changes in ozone amounts are closely
linked to temperature, with colder
temperatures resulting in more polar
stratospheric clouds and lower ozone levels.
350 Atmospheric motions drive the year-to-year -65
temperature changes.The Arctic stratosphere Temperature
has cooled slightly since 1979, but scientists
are currently unsure of the cause.”
320 -68
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Total ozone and stratospheric
temperatures over the Arctic
Source: www.theozonehole.com/climate.htm, data provided by Paul Newman, NASA GSFC.
since 1979.

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