Ozone Hole Meteorology
Variations of temperature are strongly affected by weather systems in the troposphere. Very large-scale weather systems or waves can move or propagate upward into the stratosphere. The upward propagation of these weather systems warms the polar region. e measure this upward flow of wave energy with the eddy heat flux. The eddy heat flux is the product of north-south (meridional) wind departures and temperature departures from their respective zonal-mean values. There is a strong anticorrelation between stratospheric temperature and the 45-day average of the eddy heat flux lagged prior to the temperature. A more negative value of eddy heat flux indicates that wave systems are moving into the stratosphere and are warming the polar region.
- Ozone
- Temperature
- Wind
- Potential Vorticity
- Heat Flux
Comparison to all years
The following figures show the daily progression through the ozone hole season, comparing the current year to the climatology of all other years.
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45-Day Total Eddy Heat Flux
Pressure Level (hPa):
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The average of 45°–75°S eddy heat flux at 100 hPa for the 45-day period prior to the date indicated. |
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45-Day Wave 1–3 Eddy Heat Flux
Pressure Level (hPa):
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The average of 45°–75°S waves 1–3 eddy heat flux at 100 hPa for the 45-day period prior to the date indicated. The lower wave numbers tend to dominate the total eddy heat flux and generally show a better relationship with temperature. |
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Total Eddy Heat Flux
Pressure Level (hPa):
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The average of 45°–75°S eddy heat flux at 100 hPa. |
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Wave 1–3 Eddy Heat Flux
Pressure Level (hPa):
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The average of 45°–75°S waves 1–3 eddy heat flux at 100 hPa. The lower wave numbers tend to dominate the total eddy heat flux and generally show a better relationship with temperature. |
Detailed descriptions of the plots are available. The Code 613.3 web page has many other meteorological statistics.