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Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science SocietyJournal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science Society
A journal for meteorology, climate, oceanography, hydrology and space weather focused on the southern hemisphere
RESEARCH FRONT (Open Access)

The influence of large amplitude planetary waves on the Antarctic ozone hole of austral spring 2017

Oleksandr Evtushevsky A B , Andrew R. Klekociuk B C , Volodymyr Kravchenko A , Gennadi Milinevsky A D and Asen Grytsai A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Astronomy and Space Physics Department, Faculty of Physics of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 64/13, Volodymyrska Street, City of Kyiv, Ukraine, 01601.

B Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tas., Australia.

C Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Hobart, Tas., Australia.

D College of Physics, International Centre of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.

E Corresponding author. Email: o_evtush@ukr.net

Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science 69(1) 57-64 https://doi.org/10.1071/ES19022
Submitted: 14 February 2018  Accepted: 1 July 2019   Published: 11 June 2020

Journal Compilation © BoM 2019 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

Abstract

Quasi-stationary planetary wave activity in the lower Antarctic stratosphere in the late austral winter was an important contributor to the preconditioning of the ozone hole in spring 2017. Observations show that the ozone hole area (OHA) in spring 2017 was at the level of 1980s, that is, almost half the maximum size in 2000s. The observed OHA was close to that forecasted based on a least-squares linear regression between wave amplitude in August and OHA in September–November. We show that the key factor which contributed to the preconditioning of the Antarctic stratosphere for a relatively small ozone hole in the spring of 2017 was the development of large-amplitude stratospheric planetary waves of zonal wave numbers 1 and 2 in late winter. The waves likely originated from tropospheric wave trains and promoted the development of strong mid-latitude anticyclones in the lower stratosphere which interacted with the stratospheric polar vortex and strongly eroded the vortex in August and September, mitigating the overall level of ozone loss.


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