Dynamical control of NH and SH winter/spring total ozone from GOME observations in 1995

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Read Full Article (file size: 450091 bytes) Cited by GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 30, NO. 11, 1583, doi:10.1029/2002GL016799, 2003 Dynamical control of NH and SH winter/spring total ozone from GOME observations in 1995–2002 M. Weber Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany S. Dhomse Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany F. Wittrock Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany A. Richter Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany B.-M. Sinnhuber Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany J. P. Burrows Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany Abstract The abnormal high wave activity in austral spring 2002 led to the first observation of a major stratospheric warming in the southern hemisphere resulting in a net winter increase of mid- to high latitude total ozone until September 2002. In previous years chemical ozone depletion inside the Antarctic vortex was sufficiently high to reduce mean total ozone south of 50° in September to values slightly below that of March (fall) as observed by GOME during the period 1995–2001. This unusual event permits us to examine the interannual variability in total ozone and OClO (the latter being an indicator of the level of chlorine activation inside the polar vortex) as measured by GOME combining data from the southern and northern hemisphere. It is shown that the absolute winter eddy heat flux between 43° and 70° latitudes at 100 hPa correlates extremely well (r = 0.97) with spring-to-fall ratio of total ozone polewards of 50° and anti-correlates with the winter integrated maximum OClO column amounts (r = −0.94) using this combined data set. The unusual ozone ratio for austral winter/spring 2002 lies almost midway between typical values for Antarctica and those for recent cold Arctic winter/spring seasons. Received 19 December 2002; accepted 17 April 2003; published 10 June 2003. Index Terms: 0341 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere—constituent transport and chemistry (3334); 3319 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: General circulation; 3334 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Middle atmosphere dynamics (0341, 0342); 3349 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Polar meteorology; 3362 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Stratosphere/troposphere interactions. Read Full Article (file size: 450091 bytes) Cited by Citation: Weber, M., S. Dhomse, F. Wittrock, A. Richter, B.-M. Sinnhuber, and J. P. Burrows (2003), Dynamical control of NH and SH winter/spring total ozone from GOME observations in 1995–2002, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(11), 1583, doi:10.1029/2002GL016799. Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union.

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