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Krzyścin, J., 2020: Is the Antarctic ozone hole recovering faster than changing the stratospheric halogen changes? J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 98, 1083-1091. https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2020-055
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Plain Language Summary: Large ozone deficit over Antarctica has been observed regularly in austral spring since the early 1980s. The size and depth of the ozone hole vary considerably from year-to-year. The hole appears to have lost strength in the past 20 years because of declining levels of the man-made ozone-depleting chemicals in the stratosphere. This paper introduces indices for tracing the hole recovery: percentage of the healed amount of the ozone hole metric (total column ozone, hole area, and mass of ozone loss within the hole) by 2019, and the metric recovery year. In late winter and early spring, the metrics show stronger hole recovery than expected based on recent changes in ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere.

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Highlights:

• Indicators to monitor the Antarctic ozone hole recovery are proposed: percentage of the healed amount of the hole metric (total column ozone, hole area, and mass of ozone loss within the hole) by 2019, and the metric recovery year.
• The statistically significant recovery is found from beginning of September up to mid-November based on mass of the ozone loss within the hole.
• In late austral winter and early spring, the recovery inferred from mass of the ozone loss within the hole is significantly stronger than expected based on changes in the stratospheric halogen loading alone.