England, May 18 -- A new study suggests that the ozone hole's negative effects on the Southern Ocean's carbon uptake are reversible, but only if greenhouse gas emissions rapidly decrease.

The study, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), finds that as the ozone hole heals, its influence on the ocean carbon sink of the Southern Ocean will diminish, while the influence of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will rise.

Relative to its area, the Southern Ocean takes up a disproportionate amount of carbon, which reduces the radiative effects of carbon in the atmosphere and strongly mitigates human-caused climate change. Therefore, knowing how much carbon it will absorb, and what controls this carbon uptake, is important.

Scientists from the...