Measurements of the ozone and water vapor contents in the stratospheric Antarctic cyclone from the high-altitude M55 Geophysica Aircraft

Ozone and water vapor contents simultaneously measured in the stratospheric Antarctic cyclone from aboard the M55 Geophysica high-altitude aircraft du ring the APE-GAIA Antarctic campaign in September-October 1999 are presente d. Examinations of the so-called ozone "hole" showed that, at the height of the ozone stratospheric maximum, the ozone partial pressure was no more th an 1 mPa; i.e., it did not exceed the tropospheric ozone partial pressure. A chemically disturbed stratospheric region with a pronounced boundary loca ted at a height of 17 to 18 km and characterized by simultaneous abrupt cha nges in the concentrations of ozone (by a factor of 6) and water vapor (by a factor of 1.5-2.0) was revealed. It is noted that the existence of the oz one hole was accompanied by air-mass dehydration associated with the observ ed low temperatures favorable to the formation of polar stratospheric cloud s. It is concluded that chemical processes of ozone destruction and dehydra tion processes proceeded within the same air mass. The stratospheric vertic al ozone profiles in the area of the ozone hole were measured.