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How can increased carbon dioxide affect temperatures in the upper stratosphere and ozone recovery?

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ozone depletion — Ozone depletion The Antarctic ozone hole reaches its maximum extent in October of each year. On October 7, 2021, when this image was captured, the Antarctic ozone hole spanned 24.8 million square km (9.6 million square miles).

Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere influence the recovery of the ozone layer primarily by altering temperatures in the stratosphere.1

While carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas that warms the troposphere, it has a different effect in the upper stratosphere, where it contributes to cooling. This upper stratospheric cooling has been identified as a factor that can contribute to increases in stratospheric ozone concentrations.1

The overall recovery of the ozone layer remains a complex process dependent on various atmospheric changes, including the long-term phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals under the Montreal Protocol and the shifting levels of other gases like methane and nitrous oxide, which also participate in chemical reactions affecting ozone levels.1