In the mid-1980s started to accumulate evidence that at the end of winter had formed a ‘hole’ in the ozone layer of the South Pole, where ozone has been reduced by almost 50 . During the winter in the stratosphere is formed an air current around the Antarctic is known as’ polar vortex ‘or vortex. The air is trapped in this vortex becomes extremely cold during the polar night, which favors the formation of ice particles, known as polar stratospheric clouds. These clouds act as a catalyst to provide a heterogeneous surface for the reactions in the Earth HCl and chlorine nitrate is converted into reactive chlorine molecules:
At the beginning of spring, sunlight separates the chlorine atoms in their corresponding molecular chlorine, which are responsible for ozone depletion.
The situation is less serious in the arctic in this region because warmer the whirlwind does not last that long. The Antarctic vortex seals and prevents the influences in this region from the rest of the atmosphere. The isolation caused by the vortex prevents the warmer air rich in ozone exists around Antarctica, from the tropics, poleward flow, which would help replace the destroyed ozone and raising temperatures on the continent. In contrast, the air rich in ozone, which is carried poleward by the planetary waves, is coupled to the edge of the vortex, forming a “ring” of air with high ozone concentrations can be seen in satellite images.
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