Signatures of Anomalous Transport in the 2019/2020 Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex

Abstract

The stratospheric polar vortex in the 2019/2020 Arctic winter was the strongest, most persistent, and most consistently cold on record (e.g., Lawrence et al., 2020). Persistently low temperatures as well as vortex confinement later in spring than usual resulted in record low ozone in the lower stratospheric vortex (lower than that in 2010/2011, the previous record; e.g.,

Introduction to Special Collection “The Exceptional Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex in 2019/2020: Causes and Consequences”

“…Also critical to polar processing and ozone loss is the degree of confinement of air that is primed for ozone depletion inside the polar vortex, and how it is transported within the vortex. In addition to the metrics already discussed of exceptional polar vortex strength and longevity (Figures 1e and 1f; Lawrence et al, 2020;Manney et al, 2020, also show diagnostics that are indicative of unusually low mixing), Manney, Millán, et al (2022) discussed the unusual transport throughout the 2019/2020 winter, showing that, in early winter, unusual long-lived trace gas distributions arose primarily from descent of preexisting anomalies entrained into the vortex as it formed, whereas springtime trace gas anomalies arose primarily from inhibited mixing into the polar regions related to the late polar vortex breakup. Further, Curbelo et al (2021) explored aspects of the evolution of and transport within the polar vortex during a vortex-split event in the lower to middle stratosphere in the period preceding the springtime vortex breakup.…”

“…In addition to the metrics already discussed of exceptional polar vortex strength and longevity (Figures 1e and 1f; Lawrence et al., 2020; Manney et al., 2020, also show diagnostics that are indicative of unusually low mixing), Manney, Millán, et al. (2022) discussed the unusual transport throughout the 2019/2020 winter, showing that, in early winter, unusual long‐lived trace gas distributions arose primarily from descent of preexisting anomalies entrained into the vortex as it formed, whereas springtime trace gas anomalies arose primarily from inhibited mixing into the polar regions related to the late polar vortex breakup. Further, Curbelo et al.…”

“…Studies in this special collection focusing on observations and/or modeling of chemical ozone loss in the Arctic in 2019/2020 use satellite data sets including those from: the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) (Feng et al., 2021; Grooβ & Müller, 2021; Manney, Millán, et al., 2022; Manney et al., 2020; Wohltmann et al., 2020, 2021), the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment‐Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Bognar et al., 2021; Grooβ & Müller, 2021; Manney et al., 2020), the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (Bernhard et al., 2020), the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument, the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment‐2, the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY, and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite—Limb Profiler (last four by Weber et al., 2021). In addition, several studies use ground‐and/or balloon‐based data sets (Bognar et al., 2021; Wohltmann et al., 2020).…”

Cyclone‐Like Features Within the Stratospheric Polar‐Night Vortex

“…Here attention is confined to examining the atmospheric state at a near-stratopause elevation. In common with earlier studies (e.g., Dunkerton & Delisi, 1986;Manney, Millán, et al, 2022;McIntyre & Palmer, 1984;Millan et al, 2021), we adopt a PV Perspective (Hoskins et al, 1985). Its three ingredients of inversion, partition and conservation provide a compact description both of the vortex's gross structure (Davies, 1981), and of its internal structure in accord with the forementioned tripartite classification.…”

Introduction to Special Collection "The Exceptional Arctic Stratospheric Polar Vortex in 2019/2020:Causes and Consequences"

“…Studies in this special collection focusing on observations and/or modeling of chemical ozone loss in the Arctic in 2019/2020 use satellite data sets including those from: the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) (Feng et al, 2021;Grooβ & Müller, 2021;Manney, Millán, et al, 2022;Manney et al, 2020;Wohltmann et al, 2020, the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier Transform Spectrometer (Bognar et al, 2021;Grooβ & Müller, 2021;Manney et al, 2020), the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (Bernhard et al, 2020), the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument, the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2, the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY, and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite-Limb Profiler (last four by Weber et al, 2021). In addition, several studies use ground-and/or balloon-based data sets (Bognar et al, 2021;Wohltmann et al, 2020).…”