Ozone Depletion Modulated by Arctic Polar Stratospheric Cloud Types

Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) act as a reaction interface for polar stratospheric ozone depletion. In this study, we analyze the distribution characters of Arctic PSCs from 2006/2007 to 2020/2021, and investigate the impact of PSCs on ozone depletion using data from CALIPSO, OMI and MLS. Our results indicate that the dominant type of PSCs in the Arctic is Nitric Acid Trihydrate (NAT), followed by Supercooled Ternary Solution (STS), and ICE is the rarest. The spatio-temporal distribution of different types of PSCs is significantly different, NAT appear at altitude below 20 km in the early stage of PSCs formation while STS occur at altitude above 20 km in the later stage of PSCs formation. Furthermore, ozone depletion is related to the type of PSCs, higher occurrences of ICE PSCs in the stratosphere hinder stratospheric ozone depletion. This investigation broadens our understanding of the multifaceted drivers influencing stratospheric ozone depletion.