4 January 2010: The Ozone Secretariat has released a report of the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, titled “Environmental Effects of Ozone Depletion and its Interactions with Climate Change: 2010 Assessment.”

The report outlines the interactions between climate change and the ozone layer, including changes in atmospheric conditions that affect the chemical production and loss of stratospheric ozone. According to the report, climate change is expected to decrease temperatures and water vapour abundances in the stratosphere, speeding up ozone recovery outside Polar Regions, but slowing down the recovery in Polar Regions.

The report includes chapters on: ozone depletion and climate change, impacts on ultraviolet (UV) radiation; the human health effects of ozone depletion and interactions with climate change; effects of solar UV radiation on terrestrial ecosystems, patterns, mechanisms and interactions with climate change; effects of UV radiation on aquatic ecosystems and interactions with climate change; effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on biogeochemical cycling; changes in air quality and tropospheric composition due to depletion of stratospheric ozone and interactions with climate; and the effects of solar UV and climate change on materials. [Environmental Effects Assessment Panel Webpage]