Ozone Anomalies in Spring over Russia

A. M. Zvyagintsev, G. I. Kuznetsov, and I. N. Kuznetsova

During more than half-century ozone observations in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, the significant anomalies of total ozone (TO) with the duration of a month and more were observed in March 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2011 (in 1997 and 2011, they were the most significant and the longest). The maximum total ozone deficit zone over the land was observed over the northern coast of East Siberia. The ozone loss in the anomalies in 1997 and 2011 were associated with the unusual behavior of the circumpolar vortex which was unusually deep, stable, and durable in these years that resulted in the abnormal low temperature in the stratosphere in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. In subpolar latitudes, the temperature in the lower stratosphere during the period from December 2010 to February 2011 was lower than in 1997. In 2011 due to the durable springtime anomaly, almost over the whole territory of Russia the average annual ozone values turned out to be significantly lower than in the previous decade. The total ozone deficit in the circumpolar vortex in spring 1997 and 2011 amounted to about 140 DU. The formation of large TO anomaly in 2011 indicates that the long-term evolution of ozone layer conditions is a part of the long-term evolution of the Earth climate system.