Changes in stratospheric ozone and temperature due to the eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo
The paper investigates the impact of the Mt. Pinatubo eruptions on the total column ozone measured from the Nimbus 8 TOMS and the NOAA-11 SBUV/2 spectrometers. Within a few months after the eruptions, the total column ozone decreased by 5-6 percent in the tropics, 3-4 percent at midlatitudes, and 6-9 percent at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. After the effects of quasi-biennial oscillations and interannual variability are taken into account, the decrease in the column ozone attributed to volcanic eruptions at these latitudes may not be more than 2-4 percent. The most noticeable effect on the Pinatubo eruptions, as observed during the El Chichon period, is the breakdown of the phase relation between ozone and temperature. This is attributed to additional heating in the lower stratosphere caused by volcanic aerosols.