"A rare atmospheric phenomenon is occurring over Antarctica that is putting the brakes on this year’s formation of the annual Antarctic Ozone Hole.
Extremely warm stratospheric air temperatures are forcing their way over the South Pole and weakening the Antarctic Polar Vortex.
This type of event is called
Sudden Stratospheric Warming, or SSW,
and is a relatively rare occurrence
over Antarctica with the last major event
happening back in 2002
when the Ozone Hole prematurely split in to two pieces.
These events are rare in the southern hemisphere because the geography of a cold continent surrounded by the relatively warm waters of the Southern Ocean reinforces the stability of circulation patterns called the Antarctic Polar Vortex."
Source:
http://ciresblogs.colorado.edu/southpoleozone/2019/09/18/sudden-stratospheric-warming-over-antarctica/
