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The evolution of the Hunga hydration in a moistening stratosphere
  • +8
  • Luis Millan,
  • L Millán,
  • W G Read,
  • M L Santee,
  • A Lambert,
  • G L Manney,
  • J L Neu,
  • M C Pitts,
  • F Werner,
  • N J Livesey,
  • M J Schwartz
Luis Millan

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
L Millán
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
W G Read
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
M L Santee
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
A Lambert
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
G L Manney
NorthWest Research Associates, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
J L Neu
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
M C Pitts
NASA Langley Research Center
F Werner
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
N J Livesey
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
M J Schwartz
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Abstract

The 2022 Hunga eruption caused unprecedented stratospheric hydration.  Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) measurements show that the stratospheric water vapor mass remains essentially unchanged as of early 2024 and that the Hunga hydration occurred atop a robust (possibly accelerating) moistening trend in the stratosphere. Enhanced by the excess Hunga water vapor, dehydration via polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) sedimentation in the 2023 Antarctic vortex exceeded climatological values by ~50%. Simple projections, based solely on Antarctic dehydration, illustrate that the timing of the return to humidity levels that would have been expected absent the Hunga hydration depends on the ongoing stratospheric water vapor trend. For strong moistening, the influx of water entering the stratosphere could offset the enhanced PSC dehydration, resulting in a new, more humid 'equilibrium' stratospheric state. With the Hunga hydration compounding an underlying moistening trend, the stratosphere could remain anomalously humid for an extended period. 
30 Mar 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
01 Apr 2024Published in ESS Open Archive