Ideas and perspectives: Southwestern tropical Atlantic coral growth response to atmospheric circulation changes induced by ozone depletion in Antarctica

Recent Southern Hemisphere (SH) atmospheric
circulation, predominantly driven by stratospheric ozone de-
pletion over Antarctica, has caused changes in climate across
the extratropics. Here, we present evidence that the Brazilian
coast (southwestern Atlantic) may have been impacted from
both wind and sea-surface temperature changes derived from
this process. Skeleton analysis of massive coral species liv-
ing in shallow waters off Brazil are very sensitive to air–sea
interactions, and seem to record this impact. Growth rates
of Brazilian corals show a trend reversal that fits the ozone
depletion evolution, confirming that ozone impacts are far
reaching and potentially affect coastal ecosystems in tropical
environments