Stratospheric biomass burning aerosols compensate record-breaking ozone depletion over the Arctic in spring 2020.

ABSTRACT: Biomass burning aerosols reaching the stratosphere (SBBA) present an emerging yet understudied threat to Arctic ozone (O₃). Previous work focuses primarily on SBBA-induced heterogeneous chemistry, while their dynamical effects-altering temperature and circulation-have received less attention. Here, we assess both the chemical and dynamical impacts of SBBA over the Arctic during 2019-2020, a period marked by unusually high SBBA loading and O₃ depletion. With satellite-constrained modelling, we show that SBBA cause a net increase in Arctic O₃, compensating for 19% of the observed depletion in spring 2020. Dynamical processes dominate this effect via stratospheric heating and enhanced poleward O₃ transport. We link this SBBA event to a confluence of

SUBMITTER: Zhong Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12932636 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature