Unusually Rapid Reversal of Polar Vortex from Sudden Stratospheric Warming

Beginning around March 4th, there was a very rapid reversal of the Arctic Polar Vertex via a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) of over 50 C.

This reversal started as a splitting (bifurcation) of the counter clockwise (ccw) polar vortex, resulting in two meshed gears: one ccw and the other clockwise (cw).

The cw gear soon dominated, as the usual ccw one weakened. This continued throughout the month of March, and in early April we have the usual ccw Polar Vortex being established.

I show these transitions using Earth Nullschool and try to explain what is happening. During the reversed state, ozone was pulled upward setting record high levels in basically a “reverse ozone hill” versus the usual “ozone hole” over Antarctica.

Also, it looks like the reversals are much more common during both the El Niño and La Niña states, and not common during the neutral “El Nothing” state.

Climate change is certainly never boring!!

Sources

“Polar vortex is 'spinning backwards' above Arctic after major reversal event”
https://www.livescience.com/planet-ea...

“The polar vortex circling the Arctic is swirling in the wrong direction after surprise warming in the upper atmosphere triggered a major reversal event earlier this month. It is one of the most extreme atmospheric U-turns seen in recent memory.”

“Wandering polar vortex may cause a wild, snowy winter”
https://www.livescience.com/polar-vor...

“What is the Polar Vortex?”
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/...

“Atmospheric Waves Awareness: An Explainer”
https://www.planetary.org/articles/at...

“The Polar Vortex is spinning backwards”
https://www.spaceweather.com/archive....

NOAA polar vortex blog:
“It was the perfect winter to launch a polar vortex blog”
http://www.climate.gov/news-features/...

“What is ozone”
https://www.livescience.com/ozone.html

Earth Nullschool
https://earth.nullschool.net/

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