Modulation of the meridional ozone transfer by the Southern oscillation, ENSO, in the time of filling Antarctic ozone hole

Abstract

The aim of the study was to reveal the reasons of variations in the time of the beginning of spring filling of the Antarctic ozone hole (AOH). We used data from NASA satellites on the total ozone (TO). Data on the zonal wind speed at the latitude of 60°S and the isobaric level of 50 GPA and, respectively, the rotation speed of the circumpolar vortex were used. Increased speed leads to greater centrifugal force and increased delay of the meridional mass transfer of ozone from middle latitudes to the polar region. So, filling in the AOH starts later. When the speed decreases, the delay decreases, and the AOH filling starts earlier. The study focuses on the correlation between the time series of three geophysical phenomena between 1979 and 2018. The first series is data on TO in the polar latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere in early October. The second series describes the wind speed at 60°S. The third is a series of indices of the El Nino phenomenon. Close correlations have been found between the zonal wind speed and TO and between the zonal wind speed and El Nino–La Nina indices. The El Nino–La Nina events, changing the zonal wind speed, control the dates when the AOH begins to be filled due to the meridional ozone mass transfer from the middle latitudes to the polar region that occurs every October.