Tropical circulation and precipitation response to ozone depletion and recovery

Environmental Research Letters (2017)

We present zonally asymmetric effects of ozone depletion that reach into the tropics and affect atmospheric circulation and precipitation, including the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ).

Using observation-based analyses and model simulations we show that from 1961–1996, ozone depletion led to increased precipitation at the northern flank of the SPCZ and decreased precipitation to the south. The effects originate from a flow pattern over the southwestern Pacific that extends equatorward and alters the propagation of synoptic waves and thus the position of the SPCZ.

Model simulations suggest that anticipated stratospheric ozone recovery over the next decades will reverse these effects.