The ozone hole over New Zealand is closing, but it may warm up Antarctica which could then affect the West Coast and Canterbury Plains, a university researcher says.
Dr Adrian McDonald, from Canterbury University's Physics and Astronomy department, was commenting after data released by the World Meteorological Organisation showed the
ozone layer would recover between the years 2050 and 2100.
However, as a result of the ozone hole closing, Antarctica would probably become warmer, Dr McDonald said.
An international agreement designed to reduce harmful substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has helped reduce the size of the ozone hole. It was believed that if the Montreal Protocol was adhered to, the ozone layer was expected to recover before the next century, Dr McDonald said.
Since the beginning of the 1980s, an ozone hole had developed over Antarctica during the spring, resulting in a decrease in ozone concentration of up to 70 per cent.
