On the identification of ozone recovery

Here we focus on higher altitudes and the global stratosphere. Two key processes that can influence ozone recovery are evaluated: dynamical variability and solar proton events (SPEs).

A nine-member ensemble of free-running simulations indicates that dynamical variability dominates the relatively small ozone recovery signal over 1998-2016 in the subpolar lower stratosphere, particularly near the tropical tropopause. The absence of observed recovery there to date is therefore not unexpected. For the upper stratosphere, high latitudes (50-80 degrees N/S) during autumn and winter show the largest recovery.