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Attribution of the Arctic ozone column deficit in March 2011

  1. I. S. A. Isaksen1,2,*,
  2. C. Zerefos3,
  3. W.-C. Wang4,
  4. D. Balis5,
  5. K. Eleftheratos3,
  6. B. Rognerud1,
  7. F. Stordal1,
  8. T. K. Berntsen1,2,
  9. J. H. LaCasce1,
  10. O. A. Søvde2,
  11. D. Olivié1,2,
  12. Y. J. Orsolini6,
  13. I. Zyrichidou5,
  14. M. Prather7,
  15. O. N. E. Tuinder8

Article first published online: 25 DEC 2012

DOI: 10.1029/2012GL053876

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume 39, Issue 24, 28 December 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Isaksen, I. S. A., et al. (2012), Attribution of the Arctic ozone column deficit in March 2011, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L24810, doi:10.1029/2012GL053876.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

  2. 2

    Center for International Climate and Environmental Research–Oslo, Oslo, Norway

  3. 3

    Department of Geology, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

  4. 4

    Atmospheric Science Research Center, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA

  5. 5

    Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

  6. 6

    Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway

  7. 7

    Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

  8. 8

    Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, De Bilt, Netherlands

*Corresponding author: I. S. A. Isaksen, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, N-0315 Oslo, Norway. (ivar.isaksen@geo.uio.no)

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 25 DEC 2012
  2. Article first published online: 25 DEC 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 16 NOV 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 7 NOV 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 13 SEP 2012

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Keywords:

  • Arctic;
  • chemistry;
  • dynamics;
  • ozone;
  • ozone deficit;
  • stratospheric processes

[1] Arctic column ozone reached record low values (∼310 DU) during March of 2011, exposing Arctic ecosystems to enhanced UV-B. We identify the cause of this anomaly using the Oslo CTM2 atmospheric chemistry model driven by ECMWF meteorology to simulate Arctic ozone from 1998 through 2011. CTM2 successfully reproduces the variability in column ozone, from week to week, and from year to year, correctly identifying 2011 as an extreme anomaly over the period. By comparing parallel model simulations, one with all Arctic ozone chemistry turned off on January 1, we find that chemical ozone loss in 2011 is enhanced relative to previous years, but it accounted for only 23% of the anomaly. Weakened transport of ozone from middle latitudes, concurrent with an anomalously strong polar vortex, was the primary cause of the low ozone When the zonal winds relaxed in mid-March 2011, Arctic column ozone quickly recovered.

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