j@1040: j@1040: Development of ozone depletion over the years j@1040: ============================================= j@1040: j@1040: Chemical ozone depletion is not a quantity that can be measured j@1040: directly. Ozone is also influenced by atmospheric transport. The time j@1040: at which the polar vortex breaks down varies from year to year. One j@1040: way to deduce the effect of chemical ozone depletion from the j@1040: measurements is tto look at of the average ozone column in the polar j@1040: vortex ("equivalent latitude" >63°). This quantity increases j@1040: after the breakdown of the polar vortex (typically in March) due to j@1040: the the transport of ozone-rich air masses towards the pole. j@1040: Therefore the minimum of this quantity in March is an approximate measure j@1040: of chemical ozone depletion in the Arctic. Here you can see this j@1303: value for years up to and including 2021 and also the corresponding j@1040: time series for Antarctica.