Briefs: ozone hole

The Earth's ozone hole is slowly mending: this is considered a big victory for environmental policy makers. But in a new report, scientists say there is a downside: its repair may contribute to global warming. As it happens, the hole led to the formation of moist, brighter-than-usual clouds that shielded the Antarctic region from the warming induced by greenhouse gas emissions over the last two decades, Leeds scientists reported in a recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters. According to this publication, the recovery of the hole will reverse this shielding effect and accelerate warming in certain parts of the Southern Hemisphere.