Figure 1. Effect of Polar Stratospheric clouds (Fahey, D.W., and M.I. Hegglin, 2010)
- At very low temperature, strong circular winds known as “polar vortex” blow around the whole continent which isolate the air over Antarctica from the rest of the word atmosphere.
- At high altitude and very low temperature, Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) are formed. These clouds provide a surface to facilitate and convert benign forms of chlorine into reactive, ozone-destroying forms, and removes nitrogen compounds that alleviate the destructive effect of chlorine.
NASA, 2016. Polar Stratospheric Clouds (online). Available from: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_680.html