After decades of monitoring damage to the ozone layer, environmental policymakers finally have reason to celebrate. Well, sort of.

A new study issued by the University of Leeds says the ozone layer is now mending, but its repair could actually contribute to global warming in the southern hemisphere.

Scientists say high-speed winds generated by the hole led to the formation of moist, radiant clouds that essentially shielded the Antarctic region from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.

“These clouds have acted like a mirror…reflecting the sun’s heat away from the surface to the extent that warming…has effectively been cancelled out in this region during the summertime,” explained Ken Carslaw, professor of atmospheric science and co-author of the paper. “If, as it seems likely, these winds die down, rising CO2 emissions could then cause the warming of the southern hemisphere to accelerate.” Leed Press Release

Scientists began monitoring the region after a depleted ozone layer was discovered over Antarctica in the mid-1980’s. The discovery caused widespread alarm among the international community and led to a protocol banning the use of CFC’s, or chlorofluorocarbons, commonly found in refrigerants or aerosols.

Using a global model of aerosols and meteorological data spanning two decades, the research team found that large amounts of sea spray, lifted into the atmosphere by the high-speed winds, resulted in an increase in cloud concentration by nearly 46 percent in some regions.

Other experts question the study’s conclusion, noting the continued expansion of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. They suggest the rise in temperature would maintain high wind speeds and continue the same cloud-generating effect.

Copyright 2010 Amanda C. Becker