Episodic total ozone minima and associated effects on heterogeneous chemistry and lower stratospheric transport

Abstract

A description of the January 31, 1989, ozone minihole over Stavanger, Norway, is given on the basis of three‐dimensional model simulations. This minihole is typical (though of large magnitude) of many transient events in the lower stratosphere that arise because of cyclonic‐scale disturbances in the troposphere. The ozone reduction is a short‐lived reversible dynamical event. However, through heterogeneous chemical processes there can be a significant transfer of chlorine from reservoir molecules to active radicals. This chemically perturbed air is defined as processed air, and it is found that a single event can produce enough processed air to reduce the HCl in the entire polar vortex. Chemical processing on clouds associated with transient events is shown to be a major source of processed air in the polar vortex in December before background temperatures are cold enough for more uniform heterogeneous conversion. In the model, intense cyclonic scales propagating close to the vortex edge and large planetary wave events (especially stratospheric warmings) are the major mechanisms of extra‐vortex transport. Only a small amount of processed air is found outside of the polar vortex. The processed air is a strong function of longitude, and it is virtually excluded from the Pacific Basin.