The Earth's ailing ozone layer will probably recover, but it will never look exactly like it used to.

That is the conclusion of a new study, which found that greenhouse gasses are interfering with ozone's rebound in complicated ways. The study predicts a patchy future for the ozone layer, with some sections becoming even thicker than they were before bans on ozone-damaging chemicals kicked in. Other sections, meanwhile, may remain sparse.

The ozone layer lies in the stratosphere, the region of the atmosphere that stretches from about 10 miles to 30 miles above the planet's surface. Up there, ozone gas plays an important, even life-saving role. By absorbing most of the sun's ultraviolet rays, stratospheric ozone protects people from skin cancer and guards plants, animals, and ecosystems forms from the blistering effects of UV radiation.