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Antarctic vortex dehydration in 2023 as a substantial removal pathway for Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai water vapour
  • +13
  • Xin Zhou,
  • Sandip S Dhomse,
  • Wuhu Feng,
  • Graham Mann,
  • Saffron Heddell,
  • Hugh Pumphrey,
  • Brian J Kerridge,
  • Barry Latter,
  • Richard Siddans,
  • Lucy Ventress,
  • Richard Querel,
  • Penny Smale,
  • Elizabeth Asher,
  • Emrys G Hall,
  • Slimane Bekki,
  • Martyn P Chipperfield
Xin Zhou
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Sandip S Dhomse
National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
Wuhu Feng
National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
Graham Mann
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
Saffron Heddell
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
Hugh Pumphrey
School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh
Brian J Kerridge
NCEO, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Barry Latter
NCEO, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Richard Siddans
NCEO, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Lucy Ventress
NCEO, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Richard Querel
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Penny Smale
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
Elizabeth Asher
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado
Emrys G Hall
NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory
Slimane Bekki
LATMOS/IPSL, Sorbonne Université, UVSQ, CNRS
Martyn P Chipperfield
National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds

Abstract

The January 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) injected a huge amount (~150 Tg) of water vapour (H2O) into the stratosphere, along with small amount of SO2. An off-line 3-D chemical transport model (CTM) successfully reproduces the spread of the injected H2O through October 2023 as observed by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). Dehydration in the 2023 Antarctic polar vortex caused the first substantial (~20 Tg) removal of HTHH H2O from the stratosphere. The CTM indicates that this process will dominate removal of HTHH H2O for the coming years, giving an overall e-folding timescale of 4 years; around 25 Tg of the injected H2O is predicted to still remain in the stratosphere by 2030. Following relatively low Antarctic column ozone in midwinter 2023 due to transport effects, additional springtime depletion due to H2O-related chemistry was small and maximised at the vortex edge (10 DU in column).

Peer review timeline

22 Jan 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
23 Jan 2024Published in ESS Open Archive