Impact of climate change on the stratospheric ozone layer

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to give an overview about effects of climate change on the temporal evolution of the stratospheric ozone layer. Climate change is affecting the ozone layer through changes in air mass transport, chemical composition, and temperature. In turn, changes to the ozone layer are influencing climate through radiative processes; consequential changes in temperature gradients are modifying atmospheric dynamics. Therefore, climate change and the evolution of the ozone layer are coupled. Understanding all of the processes involved is made more complex by the fact that many of the feedbacks between physical, dynamical and chemical processes in Earth's atmosphere are nonlinear. Investigations of the relationships and feedbacks between ozone depletion and climate change processes have demonstrated that it is not possible to achieve a complete understanding of long-term changes of stratospheric ozone content without the consideration of climate change.