We present long-term results from the ozonesonde program at Davis station in Antarctica (68.57° S 77.97° E) operated since 2003 in a partnership between the Australian Antarctic Division, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences. Ozonesondes provide a unique measurement of high resolution vertical profiles of ozone from the surface to the mid-stratosphere, along with the co-located temperature profiles.
We present the annual cycle of ozone concentration at Davis over the period of record, and calculate the mean ozone loss rate due to chemical depletion at each altitude in the depleted region over the course of winter and spring.
While the severity of Antarctic ozone loss in each year varies strongly with meteorological conditions in the Antarctic polar vortex, as seen for example in metrics of the Antarctic ozone hole, less variability is observed in late winter and early spring before ozone loss reaches its maximum for the year.
By regressing ozone loss against measured temperature we find a signficiant increase of ozone is detectable in early spring over the period 2003-2018, with the clearest trend occurring around 70 hPa.