Earth  ID: 3067

Aura/OMI Ozone Hole from September 12, 2004 to November 15, 2004 with Polar Vortex Demarcation

Visualizations by Lori Perkins Released on December 13, 2004
Data from NASA satellites establishes a 40-year record of stratospheric ozone measurements. The stratospheric ozone layer shields life on Earth from harmful solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Research shows that excess exposure to UV radiation causes skin cancer and eye problems and impacts plant growth. Global stratospheric ozone has decreased by 3 percent globally between 1980 and 2000 and has thinned by 50 percent over Antarctica in winter and spring. Depletion of the ozone layer allows more UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface.

This animation shows the ozone layer blocking harmful UV radiation from the Earth's surface. The hole in the ozone is seen in purple. The location, size, and shape of the polar vortex is derived from potential vorticity data, PV. The PV, shown in white at 550 degrees Kelvin, is an atmospheric regional event that isolates polar air from the air at lower latitudes, producing conditions favorable for wintertime polar ozone depletion. The animation shows that most of the low-temperature and chemically-perturbed region is confined within the polar vortex during the Antarctic winter.

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This animation shows Ozone over Antarctica between September 12, 2004 and November 15, 2004.
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In 2004, the maximum ozone hole occurred on September 22, 2004.
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This animation uses this colorbar. Low ozone levels, 125 DU, are shown in purple and high ozone levels, 435 DU, are shown in red.

For More Information

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/aura_first.html

Visualization Credits

Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC): Lead Animator
Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC): Animator
Stuart A. Snodgrass (GST): Animator
Mark Schoeberl (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Ernest Hilsenrath (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Anne Douglass (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Michelle Santee (NASA/JPL CalTech): Scientist
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3067

Mission:
Aura

Data Used:
Aura/MLS/Potential Vorticity
2004/09/12 - 2004/11/15
Derived by folks at JPL, not publicly available
view all stories where this data set is used
Aura/OMI
2004/09/12 - 2004/11/15
view all stories where this data set is used
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

This item is part of this series:
Aura First Light

Goddard TV Tape:
G2004-064

Keywords:
DLESE >> Atmospheric science
SVS >> Oxygen
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Chemistry/Oxygen Compounds >> Ozone
GCMD >> Location >> Stratosphere
GCMD >> Location >> Troposphere
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0