Evolution of the total ozone field during the breakdown of the Antarctic circumpolar vortex

Journal Article · Thu Sep 20 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JD095iD10p16529· OSTI ID:6062160

Bowman, K P ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana (USA)

Nine years of total ozone measurements from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) on Nimbus 7 are used to study the evolution of the southern hemisphere total ozone field during the breakdown of the Antarctic circumpolar vortex. The TOMS data provide detailed maps of the morphology of the ozone field and reliable estimates of the vertically integrated meridional transport of ozone during the springtime period when the breakdown occurs (September, October, November). In estimating the ozone transport, chemical effects, including those thought to be responsible for the Antarctic ozone hole, are neglected. This approximation appears to be valid for times scales of a few days to a week. On this time scale, local ozone changes are primarily due to transport. Planetary-scale waves, especially zonal wave numbers 1 and 2 dominate the eddy variance and ozone transport. Wave number 1 is quasistationary, while wave number 2 is eastward moving with a period of {approximately}10 days. Before the breakdown the planetary-scale waves transport ozone poleward (equatorward) as their amplitude increases (decreases). During the vortex breakdown and filling of the ozone hole, when poleward ozone transport is large, planetary wave amplitudes generally decrease.

• OSTI ID: 6062160
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Vol. 95:D10; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
POLAR REGIONS
VORTICES
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
OZONE LAYER
AMPLITUDES
ANTARCTICA
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EDDY CURRENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HOLES
MAPPING
OZONE
SATELLITES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPECTROSCOPY
TIME DEPENDENCE
WAVE FORMS
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
CURRENTS
EARTH PLANET
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
LAYERS
MASS TRANSFER
PLANETS
VARIATIONS
540110*