A commentary of “Antarctic ozone layer is gradually recovering” in 10 remarkable discoveries from 2020 in Nature

Abstract

In the mid-1980s, scientists discovered a spring atmospheric ozone hole over Antarctica, revealing the threat of human-made ozone-depleting substances to the atmosphere. The Antarctic ozone hole located 10 to 20 km above sea level, also affects the circulation of the atmosphere in the southern hemisphere, which in turn affects the global climate. One of its most noticeable effects is that the westerly jet in summer begins to move to the poles. The westerly jet is a planetary-scale atmospheric circulation phenomenon; there are several jet zones on the Earth. The 1987 Montreal Protocol and its subsequent amendments banned the production and use of ozone-depleting substances. Therefore, the concentration of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere is declining, and the ozone layer has shown preliminary signs of recovery. The study by Banerjee et al. pointed out that ozone hole-related effects on circulation and climate have ceased since the ozone layer began to recover [1]. While others had noticed this trend of cessation of ozone hole effects before, Banerjee and others officially attributed it to the impact of the Montreal Protocol for the first time.①① Original source in Chinese: Wenshou Tian, Antarctic ozone layer is gradually recovering, Bulletin of National Natural Science Foundation of China. 35 (2) (2021) 237-238