The role of the polar vortex strength during winter in Arctic ozone depletion from late winter to spring

• Published in: Polar Science
• Main Authors: Zuev, Vladimir V., Savelieva, Ekaterina
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Arctic polar vortex; Polar stratospheric clouds; Springtime ozone depletion; Sudden stratospheric warming; Arctic; Polar Science
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/15941

The polar ozone destruction occurs as a result of the chemical processes and catalytic cycles with the participation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the presence of weak solar radiation inside the polar vortex from late winter to spring. However, in some years, ozone depletion was not observed under strong polar vortex conditions (in the presence of PSCs). Based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis data and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) satellite data, we show that the polar vortex strength in early winter plays an important role in polar ozone depletion. If the short-term weakening or splitting of the polar vortex, occurring with PSC melting, happened during the winter, then, in most cases, ozone destruction during the subsequent period from late winter to spring was not observed even under conditions of the strong polar vortex containing PSCs. journal article