Influence of Sulfur Dioxide on Stratospheric Polar Cloud Formation and Ozone Destruction in the Winter–Spring Stratosphere of the Arctic Based on Aura MLS Observations

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) plays a key role in the winter–spring stratosphere of the Arctic because the sulfur compounds SO₂ and H₂SO₄ (together with nitric acid HNO₃) are the primary construction materials in the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). This paper studies the maximal SO₂ concentrations and total SO₂ columns at four Arctic sites: Eureka (Canada), Ny-Ålesund (Norway), Thule (Greenland), and Resolute (Canada) based on the data on the minimal air temperature, maximal negative deviations of ozone concentration from the multiyear average, maximal sulfur dioxide concentration in the Arctic stratosphere, and the total ozone and sulfur dioxide columns calculated from the corresponding altitude profiles. The temperature and ozone mixing ratio profiles are obtained from the Aura MLS observations for 2005–2022; the sulfur dioxide mixing ratio profiles are calculated from Aura MLS observations for 2010/11, 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22. The results can be useful for studying of how SO₂ affects the PSC formation and O₃ destruction in the winter–spring stratosphere of the Arctic.