Abstract
Abstract. The Antarctic ozone hole is a cyclical phenomenon that occurs during the austral spring where there is a large decrease in ozone content in the Antarctic region. Ozone-poor air mass can be released and leave through the Antarctic ozone hole, thus reaching midlatitude regions. This phenomenon is known as the secondary effect of the Antarctic ozone hole. The objective of this study is to show how tropospheric and stratospheric dynamics behaved during the occurrence of this event. The ozone-poor air mass began to operate in the region on 20 October 2016. A reduction of ozone content of approximately 23 % was observed in relation to the climatology average recorded between 1992 and 2016. The same air mass persisted over the region and a drop of 19.8 % ozone content was observed on 21 October. Evidence of the 2016 event occurred through daily mean measurements of the total ozone column made with a surface instrument (Brewer MkIII no. 167 Spectrophotometer) located at the Southern Space Observatory (29.42∘ S, 53.87∘ W) in São Martinho da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul. Tropospheric dynamic analysis showed a post-frontal high pressure system on 20 and 21 October 2016, with pressure levels at sea level and thickness between 1000 and 500 hPa. Horizontal wind cuts at 250 hPa and omega values at 500 hPa revealed the presence of subtropical jet streams. When these streams were allied with positive omega values at 500 hPa and a high pressure system in southern Brazil and Uruguay, the advance of the ozone-poor air mass that caused intense reductions in total ozone content could be explained. Keywords. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry)
Highlights
Ozone (O3) is the most important trace gas constituent of the stratosphere (Seinfeld and Pandis, 2016), which along with water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for the energy balance of the planet
Data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite were used for the same location of analysis for days since no surface instruments for the measurement were available from OMI-ERS2/NASA (2017)
The results obtained in this study show that the methodology used confirms the occurrence of an extreme event of influence of the Antarctic ozone hole on Uruguay and southern Brazil
Summary
Ozone (O3) is the most important trace gas constituent of the stratosphere (Seinfeld and Pandis, 2016), which along with water vapor (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is responsible for the energy balance of the planet This element plays a key role in supporting life on the surface of Earth due to its ability to absorb ultraviolet (UV) radiation (Salby, 1996; Dobson, 1968). High concentrations of ozone in the polar regions rather than in the equatorial region (where there is greater production of ozone) are due to a special type of southward transport known as the Brewer–Dobson circulation In this phenomenon, air masses of stratospheric origin are transported horizontally from the equator to the poles (Brewer, 1949; Dobson, 1968).
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