Emergence of ozone recovery evidenced by reduction in the occurrence of Antarctic ozone loss saturation

Kuttippurath, J.; Kumar, Pankaj; Nair, Prijitha J.; Pandey, P. C.

doi:10.1038/s41612-018-0052-6

Cited by 40 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In 2018, the ozone partial pressures between 100 hPa and 40 hPa decreased to almost zero starting in late September. This is a typical evolution of the South Pole ozone in recent decades (Kuttippurath et al, 2018, their Figure 1). By contrast, the 2019 values in that layer remain at 5 mPa or higher.…”

Section: 1029/2020jd033335mentioning

confidence: 70%

The Anomalous 2019 Antarctic Ozone Hole in the GEOS Constituent Data Assimilation System With MLS Observations

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A rare disturbance of the stratospheric Antarctic polar vortex in September 2019 led to a significantly higher than usual polar total ozone column. We use assimilation of ozone, HCl, and N 2 O data from the Microwave Limb Sounder with the Global Earth Observing System (GEOS) Constituent Data Assimilation System driven by reanalysis meteorology to study the evolution of the 2019 Antarctic polar ozone. We find that the maximum 2019 ozone hole area was near 10 × 10 6 km 2 , and as little as 20% of that in 2018 in mid-September. However, the magnitude of vortex-averaged chemical ozone depletion was not significantly different between the 2 years despite earlier chlorine deactivation in 2019. The assimilation results show that most of the differences between 2018 and 2019 Antarctic ozone resulted from two factors: (1) the geometry of the 2019 vortex, with ozone-rich middle-stratospheric air masses overlying the lower portion of the vortex and leading to a significant reduction of the total column, and (2) significantly reduced vortex volume. The anomalously small ozone hole of 2019 was comparable in size to the record breaking 2002 case and the mechanisms responsible were similar in the two cases. While the 2019 sudden stratospheric warming is classified as minor, its impact on ozone was very significant. Plain Language Summary A significant dynamical disturbance of the stratospheric polar vortex occurred over Antarctica in September 2019. Named sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), such events are relatively common in the Northern Hemisphere but exceedingly rare over the southern high latitudes. SSWs are known to disturb the chemical composition of the polar vortex, which slows down the reactions that lead to ozone depletion. In this paper we use observations of chemical composition of the 2019 Antarctic polar vortex from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s satellite sensor, the Microwave Limb Sounder, combined with a Global Earth Observing System model simulation to study the chemistry and dynamics of this unusual polar winter/spring season. We show that the 2019 SSW, although not classified as "major," led to more than a 50% reduction of the ozone hole area at its peak extent, compared to other years since 2004. Furthermore, we demonstrate that most of this reduction was caused by an unusual geometry and small size of the polar vortex, while the chemistry of the 2019 ozone hole was comparable to that in the undisturbed year 2018. The 2019 event can be regarded as an example of a minor sudden stratospheric warming with a major impact.

show abstract

Section: 1029/2020jd033335mentioning

confidence: 70%

The Anomalous 2019 Antarctic Ozone Hole in the GEOS Constituent Data Assimilation System With MLS Observations

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In recent decades, Antarctic ozone loss has reached saturation and is not expected to get any more severe (e.g., Kuttippurath et al., 2018). Early signs of a recovery due to the success of the Montreal protocol have been reported (e.g., Kuttippurath et al., 2018; WMO, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ozone volume mixing ratios have been depleted from 1–3 ppm to extremely low values of 0.01–0.1 ppm in nearly all Antarctic spring seasons since the late 1980s in a wide altitude range from 360–510 K potential temperature (12–20 km; e.g., Kuttippurath et al., 2018; Solomon et al., 2014), corresponding to about 95–99% local chemical ozone loss. In recent decades, Antarctic ozone loss has reached saturation and is not expected to get any more severe (e.g., Kuttippurath et al., 2018). Early signs of a recovery due to the success of the Montreal protocol have been reported (e.g., Kuttippurath et al., 2018; WMO, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Near‐Complete Local Reduction of Arctic Stratospheric Ozone by Severe Chemical Loss in Spring 2020

Wohltmann

Gathen

Lehmann

et al. 2020

Geophysical Research Letters

140

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the Antarctic ozone hole, ozone mixing ratios have been decreasing to extremely low values of 0.01-0.1 ppm in nearly all spring seasons since the late 1980s, corresponding to 95-99% local chemical loss. In contrast, Arctic ozone loss has been much more limited and mixing ratios have never before fallen below 0.5 ppm. In Arctic spring 2020, however, ozonesonde measurements in the most depleted parts of the polar vortex show a highly depleted layer, with ozone loss averaged over sondes peaking at 93% at 18 km. Typical minimum mixing ratios of 0.2 ppm were observed, with individual profiles showing values as low as 0.13 ppm (96% loss). The reason for the unprecedented chemical loss was an unusually strong, long-lasting, and cold polar vortex, showing that for individual winters the effect of the slow decline of ozone-depleting substances on ozone depletion may be counteracted by low temperatures.

show abstract

“…For an overview of the results of the geophysical validation of both data products we refer to McPeters et al (2008McPeters et al ( , 2015 for OMI-TOMS and to Koukouli et al (2015) and Garane et al (2018) for GODFIT. A comparison of total ozone columns derived from GOME using GODFIT with ozone from OMI retrieved with the TOMS algorithm is presented in Lerot et al (2010).…”

Section: Zonal Mean Total Ozonementioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of GTO-ECV and adjusted MERRA-2 total ozone columns from the last 2 decades and assessment of interannual variability

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In this study we compare the satellite-based Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME)-type Total Ozone Essential Climate Variable (GTO-ECV) record, generated as part of the European Space Agency's Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) ozone project, with the adjusted total ozone product from the Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (adjusted MERRA-2) reanalysis, produced at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO). Total ozone columns and associated standard deviations show a very good agreement in terms of both spatial and temporal patterns during their 23-year overlap period from July 1995 to December 2018. The mean difference between adjusted MERRA-2 and GTO-ECV 5∘×5∘ monthly mean total ozone columns is -0.9±1.5 %. A small discontinuity in the deviations is detected in October 2004, when data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) were ingested in the GTO-ECV and adjusted MERRA-2 data records. This induces a small overall negative drift in the differences for almost all latitude bands, which, however, does not exceed 1 % per decade. The mean difference for the period prior to October 2004 is -0.5±1.7 %, whereas the difference is -1.0±1.1 % for the period from October 2004 to December 2018. The variability in the differences is considerably reduced in the period after 2004 due to a significant increase in data coverage and sampling. In the tropical region, the differences indicate a slight zonal variability with negative deviations over the Atlantic, Africa, and the Indian Ocean and positive deviations over the Pacific. Ozone anomalies and the distribution of their statistical moments indicate a very high correlation among both data records as to the temporal and spatial structures. Furthermore, we evaluate the consistency of the data sets by means of an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The interannual variability is assessed in the tropics, and both GTO-ECV and adjusted MERRA-2 exhibit a remarkable agreement with respect to the derived patterns. The first four EOFs can be attributed to different modes of interannual climate variability, and correlations with the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO), the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal, and the solar cycle were found.

show abstract

Emergence of ozone recovery evidenced by reduction in the occurrence of Antarctic ozone loss saturation

Cited by 40 publications

References 36 publications

The Anomalous 2019 Antarctic Ozone Hole in the GEOS Constituent Data Assimilation System With MLS Observations

The Anomalous 2019 Antarctic Ozone Hole in the GEOS Constituent Data Assimilation System With MLS Observations

Near‐Complete Local Reduction of Arctic Stratospheric Ozone by Severe Chemical Loss in Spring 2020

Comparison of GTO-ECV and adjusted MERRA-2 total ozone columns from the last 2 decades and assessment of interannual variability

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About