Using satellite images of sea ice and computer models, the scientists discovered that the ozone hole has strengthened surface winds around Antarctica and deepened the storms in the South Pacific area of the Southern Ocean that surrounds the continent. This resulted in greater flow of cold air over the Ross Sea (West Antarctica) leading to more ice production in the region.

The satellite data reveal the variation in sea ice cover around the entire Antarctic continent. Whilst there has been a small increase of sea ice during the autumn around the coast of East Antarctica, the largest changes are observed in West Antarctica. Sea ice has been lost to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula -- a region that has warmed by almost three celsius degree in the past 50 years. Further west sea ice cover over the Ross Sea has increased.

Turner said that "Understanding how polar sea ice responds to global change -- whether human induced or as part of a natural process -- is really important if we are to make accurate predictions about the Earth's future climate. This new research helps us solve some of the puzzle of why sea ice is shrinking is some areas and growing in others."

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Editor:Yang Jie