Rapid climate changes are set to redistribute the already shrinking ozone layer, exposing earth's southern parts up to 20 per cent more ultraviolet radiation, warns a Canadian study.

Concentrated in the stratosphere from 10 km to 50 km above the earth, the ozone layer protects life on the planet by absorbing more than 90 per cent of deadly ultraviolet rays coming from the sun. Ultraviolet rays cause genetic changes and trigger various cancers.