The possible connection of the large ozone hole in September 2023 with the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption

Abstract

Polar stratospheric chemistry is highly sensitive even to minor disruptions in water vapor or temperature. Unusual behavior in temperature and water vapor has been identified in the southern polar winter stratosphere in 2023. The potential correlation between the post-Hunga-Tonga eruption elevation of water vapor (detected in the tropics), temperature changes, and ozone anomalies is under discussion, as these parameters play a crucial role in stratospheric chemistry and dynamics. In the winter of 2023 in the Southern Hemisphere, an unexpected decrease in ozone levels and the emergence of a substantial ozone hole were observed. This event marked one of the most significant ozone decreases in the past 15 years, with an unusually large ozone hole occurring during this period, and it appears to be at least partly associated with the Hunga Tonga eruption.