Deceleration of tropopause rise amidst ozone recovery over Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica

Tropopause height (H), a crucial variable for assessing upper-air climate change, is primarily modulated by temperature variations in the troposphere and stratosphere. While the recovery of Antarctic total column ozone (TCO) has profoundly reshaped the stratosphere since 2000, its relative impact on the H trend remains uncertain. This study investigates the long-term trend of H in 1979–2023 by using ERA5 reanalysis data and sounding data for cross-validation. Results reveal that the primary change in H occurs over Queen Maud Land (QML) of East Antarctica. H over QML presents a rapid upward trend of 0.09 km per decade ( p < 0.05) before 2000, followed by a gradual upward trend of 0.03 km per decade ( p < 0.05) after 2000. Spring exhibits the strongest change, with trend decelerating from 0.24 to 0.06 km per decade ( p < 0.05). Subsequent analysis demonstrates that the H trend is closely linked to lower stratospheric temperature ( T STR ) variations driven by TCO changes. Prior to 2000, TCO depletion reduced the absorption of solar radiation, leading to notable T STR cooling and a substantial increase in H trend. Tropospheric temperature ( T TRO ) warming, driven by rising CO 2 concentrations, further amplified this upward trend. Post-2000, TCO recovery has rapidly mitigated T STR cooling, with the slowdown in T STR cooling playing a larger role than the intensification in T TRO warming in modulating the H trend. Therefore, the deceleration of H trend after 2000 is mainly caused by the slowdown in T STR cooling, a direct response to TCO recovery. This study provides valuable insights into upper-air climate changes under Antarctic ozone recovery. Schematic of the possible reasons for H trends before 2000 (a) and after 2000 (b) in Antarctic spring. Long/short hollow arrows denote rapid/slow increase in H, solid arrows only indicate the direction of variable change, with upward indicating an increase and vice versa. Color depth in rectangles reflects cooling/warming magnitude in different layer.