Smoke-charged vortex doubles hemispheric aerosol in the middle stratosphere and buffers ozone depletion
Ma, C., Su, H., Lelieveld, J., Randel, W., Yu, P., et al. (2024). Smoke-charged vortex doubles hemispheric aerosol in the middle stratosphere and buffers ozone depletion. Science Advances, doi:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn3657
| Title | Smoke-charged vortex doubles hemispheric aerosol in the middle stratosphere and buffers ozone depletion |
|---|---|
| Genre | Article |
| Author(s) | C. Ma, H. Su, J. Lelieveld, William Randel, P. Yu, M. O. Andreae, Y. Cheng |
| Abstract | Australian mega-wildfires in the summer of 2019-2020 injected smoke into the stratosphere, causing strong ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere. Here, we model the smoke plume and reproduce its unexpected trajectory toward the middle stratosphere at similar to 35-kilometer altitude. We show that a smoke-charged vortex (SCV) induced and maintained by absorbing aerosols played a key role in lofting pollutants from the lower stratosphere and nearly doubled the southern hemispheric aerosol burden in the middle stratosphere. The SCV caused a redistribution of stratospheric aerosols, which boosted heterogeneous chemistry in the middle stratosphere and enhanced ozone production, compensating for up to 70% of the ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere. As global warming continues, we expect a growing frequency and importance of SCVs in promoting the impacts of wildfires on stratospheric aerosols and chemistry. |
| Publication Title | Science Advances |
| Publication Date | Jul 12, 2024 |
| Publisher's Version of Record | https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn3657 |
| OpenSky Citable URL | https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d71c2235 |
| OpenSky Listing | View on OpenSky |
| ACOM Affiliations | ACRESP |