Much of the summer warming in southern Africa over recent decades seems to have been due to the ozone hole over Antarctica.

Desmond Manatsa, of Bindura University of Science in Zimbabwe, and colleagues compared regional climates before and after ozone depletion set in around 1993. Pronounced surface warming strongly correlated with shifts in the strength and position of pressure systems in the atmosphere that enhance the southward flow of warm tropical air. These shifts are often attributed to ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere.

The expected closure of the ozone hole by 2050 may help to mitigate climate warming in southern Africa, the authors conclude.

Nature Geosci. http://doi.org/n8x (2013)