This research program commenced in 2002. Although it is relatively new, our research has revealed a number of key findings to date including. The year when the ozone layer over Antarctica returns to 1980 conditions is only marginally affected by different future scenarios of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The pathway to that recovery is however affected by GHG emissions.The recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole will affect surface climate over southern mid-latitudes including New Zealand. There was significant ozone depletion over Antarctica between 1960 and 1980. This depletion is not always apparent in observations since Antarctic stratospheric temperatures were unusually high in the late 1970s and unusually low in the late 1990s obscuring to some extent the halogen induced destruction of ozone. The Antarctic ozone hole has a major effect on the local climate, and the future of antarctica will go on to influence global climate and sea level changes. Modelling the atmospheric chemistry of feedback processes between stratospheric ozone and the antarctic climate will Increase the accuracy of global climate models. |