THE ozone hole over Antarctica could be having a bigger impact on life in the region than anyone realised. In clear summer skies, lower ozone levels allow significantly more UVB light to reach the ocean and damage DNA.
Now an analysis of east Antarctic waters suggests that higher levels of UVB light can significantly reduce phytoplankton blooms. “If you have a substantial reduction in the amount of plant material, that’s going to have all sorts of knock-on effects for the rest of the food web,” says Andrew Davidson of the Australian Antarctic Division in Kingston, Tasmania.
Davidson’s team studied the…
