Abstract
Observations of March 2024 Arctic total column ozone set a record high
of 478 Dobson Units (DU) against the 1979-2023 satellite era time
series. It was about 60 DU higher than average and 6 DU higher than the
previous March 1979 471 DU record. Daily Arctic ozone was above average
for every day in March 2024, and set record highs from 11 to 26 March
2024. Microwave Limb Sounder data show this record ozone anomaly was
concentrated in the lower stratosphere (10-30 km). These record values
developed over the 2023-2024 winter and can be associated with
vertically propagating planetary-scale wave events that caused
significant stratospheric warmings. These wave events forced poleward
and downward ozone advection into the lower stratosphere, leading to
record column ozone levels. The above average levels persisted through
June 2024 and will likely continue over the entire 2024 summer across
the northern hemisphere.