The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruptions impact on the 2023 Antarctic Ozone Hole

Continued satellite observations since the 1970s document the Antarctic ozone hole. The severity of the ozone hole stopped increasing in the 1990-2010 period, and has shown a slight improvement over the last decade, consistent with theory and model simulations. The ozone hole is projected to recover to 1980 levels in the 2060-2070 period. The January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) eruption was the most explosive volcanic eruption in the satellite era, and the water-rich plume presented an opportunity to understand the ozone hole impact from a large phreatic eruption. As shown in NASA Aura satellite Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) data, the water vapor plume was embedded in the 2023 Antarctic vortex in early spring 2023 but was frozen out by July 2023. In this presentation, we will review the 2023 ozone holes evolution, and discuss the impact of HTHH. We will also show the 2023 levels in comparison to the long-term trend. In particular, we will also show how dynamical forcing controls ozone hole recovery into the summer season.