Abstract
Abstract. Total ozone anomalies (deviation from the long-term mean) are created by anomalous circulation patterns. The dynamically produced ozone anomalies can be estimated from known circulation parameters in the layer between the tropopause and the middle stratosphere by means of statistics. Satellite observations of ozone anomalies can be compared with those expected from dynamics. Residual negative anomalies may be due to chemical ozone destruction. The statistics are derived from a 14 year data set of TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer January 1979-Dec. 1992) and corresponding 300 hPa geopotential (for the tropopause height) together with 30 hPa temperature (for stratospheric waves) at 60°N. The correlation coefficient for the linear multiple regression between total ozone (dependent variable) and the dynamical parameters (independent variables) is 0.88 for the zonal deviations in the winter of the Northern Hemisphere. Zonal means are also significantly dependent on circulation parameters, besides showing the known negative trend function of total ozone observed by TOMS. The significant linear trend for 60°N is \\sim3 DU/year in the winter months taking into account the dependence on the dynamics between the tropopause region and the mid-stratosphere. The highest correlation coefficient for the monthly mean total ozone anomalies is reached in November with 0.94.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere · composition and chemistry) · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics).
Highlights
After discovering how the ozone hole over Antarctica could form by heterogeneous reactions on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) the problem arose whether an ozone hole could form over the Northern Hemisphere as well
The winter vortex over the Northern Hemisphere is disturbed by large breaking planetary waves destroying the vortex earlier in spring when the main ozone depletion takes place over Antarctica
We investigate whether the dynamical situation described provides a necessary condition for all local ozone minima by scanning the daily TOMS data (1979±1992) north of 55°N for values below 225 DU in January and February
Summary
After discovering how the ozone hole over Antarctica could form by heterogeneous reactions on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) (activating the chlorine from anthropogenic halogenated hydrocarbons) the problem arose whether an ozone hole could form over the Northern Hemisphere as well. K. Petzoldt: The role of dynamics in total ozone deviations stratospheric wave amplitudes and additional eects from the troposphere produce an anomalous ozone distribution with unusually low/high values if the processes work in the same direction from the tropopause up to the middle stratosphere. We investigate whether the dynamical situation described (positive anomaly of upper tropospheric levels combined with negative anomaly of the stratospheric temperature) provides a necessary condition for all local ozone minima by scanning the daily TOMS data (1979±1992) north of 55°N for values below 225 DU in January and February This low ozone column means a large deviation from the long-term mean (anomaly), even over Europe where the ozone minimum at these latitudes is situated (see Fig. 2).
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