A study published in Nature has revealed that Antarctica's ozone layer hole has appeared to heal, reversing the changes to the flow of winds over the southern hemisphere that were previously caused by the damage.
University of Colorado Boulder researchers claim the changes have taken place thanks to the 1980's ban on ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
The most significant of changes can be observed in the southern hemisphere jet stream, which had been traveling further south because of the ozone depletion but is now reversing its course.
The lead author, Antara Banerjee, suggests that this, however, may only be a temporary change as China's ODS and carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise uncontrollably.
An image provided by NASA depicts a map of a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, which had the smallest recorded peak since 1987.
Before the year 2000, a jet stream causing hurricanes was getting wider as the mid-latitude stream was gradually moving toward the South Pole.
This gradual shift contributed in changing ocean currents and rainfall patterns in the southern hemisphere, severely affecting countries like Australia. The country had to face the risk of extreme drought as the jet stream was pushing the rain away from the coastal regions.
By using a series of computer simulations, researchers managed to illustrate how the jet stream's stopped from moving south at the same time as the ozone hole began healing. If the jet stream now reverses its southward motion, it can bring those rains back to the southern hemisphere.
Regarding the temporary nature of the changes seen in the ozone layer, the researchers commented that: "We term this a 'pause' because the poleward circulation trends might resume, stay flat, or reverse. It's the tug of war between the opposing effects of ozone recovery and rising greenhouse gases that will determine future trends."
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