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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 35, L08714, doi:10.1029/2008GL033317, 2008

Impact of stratospheric ozone hole recovery on Antarctic climate

Judith Perlwitz

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Steven Pawson

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA


Ryan L. Fogt

Physical Sciences Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, USA


J. Eric Nielsen

Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA


William D. Neff

Physical Sciences Division, Earth System Research Laboratory, NOAA, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Abstract

Model experiments have revealed that stratospheric polar ozone depletion and anthropogenic increase of greenhouse gases (GHG) have both contributed to the observed increase of summertime tropospheric westerlies in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) with the ozone influence dominating. As the stratospheric halogen loading decreases in the future, ozone is expected to return to higher values, with the disappearance of the Antarctic ozone hole. The impact of this ozone recovery on SH climate is investigated using 21st century simulations with a chemistry climate model (CCM). The model response to the ozone recovery by 2100 shows that tropospheric circulation changes during austral summer caused by ozone depletion between 1970 and 2000 almost reverse, despite increasing GHG concentrations. Comparison of the CCM results with multi-model scenario experiments from the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasize the importance of stratospheric ozone recovery for Antarctic climate.

Received 21 January 2008; accepted 25 March 2008; published 26 April 2008.

Keywords: ozone recovery; Antarctic climate change; chemistry-climate interactions.

Index Terms: 3305 Atmospheric Processes: Climate change and variability (1616, 1635, 3309, 4215, 4513); 9310 Geographic Location: Antarctica (4207); 1637 Global Change: Regional climate change; 3362 Atmospheric Processes: Stratosphere/troposphere interactions; 1626 Global Change: Global climate models (3337, 4928).

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Citation: Perlwitz, J., S. Pawson, R. L. Fogt, J. E. Nielsen, and W. D. Neff (2008), Impact of stratospheric ozone hole recovery on Antarctic climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L08714, doi:10.1029/2008GL033317.