Arctic ozone depletion in spring 2016

Date: 21.04.2016

Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Place: Nordlys, DMI

Contact: Cathrine Fox Maule

Temperatures in the lower stratosphere over the Arctic have been unusual low throughout the winter until beginning of March, and the polar vortex remained intact until the final warming around mid- March. Such conditions are required to prime the stratospheric air for strong chemical ozone depletion.

After a short introduction to the processes of chemical ozone depletion, we shall look at the meteorological development in the Arctic stratosphere and present measurements of ozone depletion from satellite and various groundbased and balloonborne instruments in the Arctic in comparison with model calculations. Preliminary results from the SAOZ network indicate a cumulative ozone loss of 27% which brings spring 2016 to the third largest ozone loss since 1994.