Ozone response to a CO₂ doubling: Results from a stratospheric circulation model with heterogeneous chemistry

A spectral three‐dimensional model of the stratosphere has been used to study the sensitivity of polar ozone with respect to a carbon dioxide increase. The lower stratospheric cooling associated with an imposed CO 2 doubling may increase the probability of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation and thus affect ozone. We compare the ozone perturbation obtained with the inclusion of a simple parameterization for heterogeneous chemistry on PSCs to that relative to a pure homogeneous chemistry. In both cases the temperature perturbation is determined by a CO 2 doubling, while the total chlorine content is kept at the present level. It is shown that the lower temperature may increase the depth and the extension of the ozone hole by extending the area amenable to PSC formation. It may be argued that this effect, coupled with an increasing amount of chlorine, may produce a positive feedback on the ozone destruction.