The possible connection of the large ozone hole in September 2023 with
the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption
Abstract
Polar stratospheric chemistry is highly sensitive even to minor
disruptions in water vapor or temperature. Unusual behavior in
temperature and water vapor has been identified in the southern polar
winter stratosphere in 2023. The potential correlation between the
post-Hunga-Tonga eruption elevation of water vapor (detected in the
tropics), temperature changes, and ozone anomalies is under discussion,
as these parameters play a crucial role in stratospheric chemistry and
dynamics. In the winter of 2023 in the Southern Hemisphere, an
unexpected decrease in ozone levels and the emergence of a substantial
ozone hole were observed. This event marked one of the most significant
ozone decreases in the past 15 years, with an unusually large ozone hole
occurring during this period, and it appears to be at least partly
associated with the Hunga Tonga eruption.