Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Summary: Ingredients for the Antarctica
ozone hole formation
• Cold temperatures; cold enough for the
formation of Polar Stratospheric Clouds.
– Polar winter leading to the formation of the polar
vortex which isolates the air within it.
– As the vortex air is isolated, the cold
temperatures persist.
– This allows the growth of PSCs and subsequent
sink to lower altitude, therefore removal of
gaseous N species.
• Sunlight (to initiate O 3 depletion reaction
sequence).