Planetary Wave Forcing of Ozone Anomalies During 2024 Antarctic Stratospheric Warming

Sudden Stratospheric Warmings (SSWs) are rare polar stratospheric extremes far less documented over Antarctica than the Arctic. A pair of successive midwinter Antarctic SSWs occurred in July–August 2024, featuring severe polar vortex distortion and sharp stratospheric temperature rises. Using MERRA-2/ERA5 reanalysis and MSR-2 total ozone column data, we diagnose wave 1 and wave 2 planetary wave forcing and associated ozone variations. Abnormally strong upward-propagating Southern Hemisphere tropospheric planetary waves drove the 2024 SSW. Wave 1 triggered the first July warming peak, while amplified wave 2 dominated the second intense vortex disruption in early August. These waves delivered westward momentum that weakened the polar night jet and destabilized the vortex. The ozone redistribution is consistent with an inferred enhancement of the Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) driven by the amplified wave activity, raising polar ozone levels and supplying extra stratospheric heat. Wave–ozone coupling shows clear selectivity: wave 1 is associated with negative total ozone column anomalies across 0–50°S (low-to-midlatitudes), whereas wave 2 is positively correlated with total ozone column anomalies over the 60–70°S polar collar region. Fading planetary wave activity after the warming peaks gradually restored the polar vortex and stratospheric thermal structure. This study provides key observational evidence for rare Antarctic SSWs and advances understanding of stratosphere–troposphere coupling and polar ozone dynamics under global warming.