Non-uniform dissipation of the Antarctic ozone hole

The 2007 Antarctic ozone hole

Decadal evolution of the Antarctic ozone hole.

Ozone column amounts obtained by the total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) in the southern polar region are analyzed during late austral winter and spring (days 240-300) for 1980-1991 using area-mapping techniques and area-weighted vortex averages. The vortex here is defined using the -50 PVU (1 PVU = 1.0 x 10(-6) K kg-1 m2 s-1) contour on the 500 K isentropic surface. The principal results...

Three-dimensional simulations of springtime dissipation of the Antarctic ozone hole*

The substantial springtime loss in ozone amount in the lower Antarctic polar stratosphere has prompted extensive studies of ozone depletion over the last two decades (World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 1992, 1995, 1999). Due to the important role ozone plays in absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation, the ozone decline in mid-latitudes and dramatic ozone depletion over Antarctica may have ...

When will the Antarctic ozone hole recover?

[1] The Antarctic ozone hole demonstrates large-scale, man-made affects on our atmosphere. Surface observations now show that human produced ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) are declining. The ozone hole should soon start to diminish because of this decline. We demonstrate a parametric model of ozone hole area that is based upon a new algorithm for estimating chlorine and bromine levels over A...

Somatic mutation and the Antarctic ozone hole

1 Previous studies of Antarctic clonal moss populations using RAPD markers have reported extraordinarily high levels of genetic variation. This has been claimed to reflect somatic mutation, possibly resulting from elevated UV-B radiation. 2 Our study used microsatellite markers to compare the genetic variation present within continental Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and temperate populations of the ...