On the role of the lower-stratospheric circulation to the vertical ozone structure

The examination of the role of the lower stratospheric circulation to the v ertical ozone distribution, is attempted by using the vertical ozone profil es collected by balloon-borne sondes released at Athens, Greece (38 degrees N, 24 degrees E), throughout the period 1989-1997. The most pronounced spe cial features of the ozone structure, such as lamination phenomenon, minimu m of ozone partial pressure at the height region of 14-17 km and ozone mini ma at the height region of 20-25 km, have been used in order to create grou ps of relevant profiles. The occurrence of the above mentioned features, co rrelated with the circulation pattern, leads to the following preliminary r esults: a) Laminated features are associated with the north-northwest circu lation in the lower stratosphere; b) The lower stratosphere's characteristi c ozone minimum is related to the influence of the subtropical jet stream c irculation; and c) The observed ozone depletion at die height region of 20- 25 km, is characterized by the movement of the polar vortex to the mid-lati tudes, resulting more intense north-western circulation above our experimen tal site. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.