Initial-condition large ensembles (LEs) generated with fully coupled global climate models offer a unique opportunity to “fingerprint” the anthropogenic influence in detection and attribution (D&A) research. For example, they provide valuable information on the characteristic space and time signatures of the climate responses to different external forcings5–12. While multiple linear regression approaches are commonly used in ozone studies to isolate underlying forced trends by fitting ozone time series to known sources of variability (such as the solar cycle, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation, volcanic activities, etc.)4,13, LEs do not require assumptions that the response is a linear combination of independent predictor variables14. Although some D&A methods have been applied to global ozone depletion and the time of emergence of total column recovery using multi-model ensembles8,15–17, previous studies were limited by shorter data records, and have not fully utilized the pattern-based technique. Furthermore, single-model LEs now reliably quantify modelled forced signals and intrinsic variability, whereas multi-model ensembles can sample large inter-model differences in forcing, response, and variability, thus hampering the identification of ozone recovery15,16.
Observed and model-simulated ozone trends
Figure 1 shows the observed and simulated month-height trend patterns over 2005 to 2018 for Antarctic ozone data spatially averaged over 66°-82°S. Observations from MLS18 (Microwave Limb Sounder) are compared with two different sets of model results: 1) the multi-model ensemble mean computed using one run of each of the 19 models that participated in the CCMI-119 (phase 1 of the Chemistry–Climate Model Initiative); and 2) the single-model ensemble of 10 different realizations of CESM-WACCM20,21 (Community Earth System Model-Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model; referred to as WACCM for short). Time series used for calculating trends are presented for illustration for four selected months and heights, and the periods of recent exceptional events, including the unusual 2019 sudden stratospheric warming22 (SSW), 2020 Australian wildfire23–25, and 2022 Hunga volcanic eruption26–29 are marked with dashed lines.
The WACCM (and some of the CCMI) ensemble comprises free-running coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations forced by time-evolving changes in greenhouse gases (GHG) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS), specified under the refC2 scenario (detailed descriptions of the models and scenarios are in the Methods section). The smaller amplitudes in WACCM and CCMI modelled mean trends in Figure 1d-e compared to the single real-world realization provided by MLS are partly due to the fact that the model ensemble means are averages over many different realizations with varying phasing of internal variability superimposed on the forced response. Because the internal variability in different realizations and models is uncorrelated (except by chance), averaging reduces its amplitude.
For comparison, Extended Data Figures 1 and 2 show the ozone trends in 2005-2018 from individual WACCM realizations and CCMI model runs (respectively). Some individual members display month-height trend patterns that are more similar to MLS while others are less similar, reflecting differences in the phasing of internal variability. Nonetheless, nearly all realizations preserve some common features, likely reflecting the “fingerprint” of GHG and ODS forcings on ozone recovery.
Ozone recovery in the lower stratosphere (at altitudes below the pressure level of ~30 hPa) during the austral spring is mainly due to the reduction in ODS concentrations3, leading to less heterogeneous ozone depletion2. The seasonal signature of the ozone hole in August-December is apparent in this region (Figure 1d,e). Recovery of upper stratospheric ozone (above ~10 hPa) also varies seasonally but maximizes in March-May30 and is due to both increased GHG and a decrease in ODS31, with each forcing roughly contributing equally (see Extended Data Figure 3). Increasing GHGs induce a large temperature decrease in the upper stratosphere32, slowing down the gas-phase ozone depletion; decreasing ODSs also lead to a reduction in gas-phase ozone depletion via reduced reactive chlorine at these altitudes33. In the descending circulation of the polar winter, the increased ozone in the upper stratosphere propagates down to the mid-stratosphere. This combined month- and height-resolved pattern characterizes the “fingerprint” of GHG and ODS forcings on Antarctic ozone recovery.
Noise of ozone variability and ODS forcing
Signal-to-noise analyses in D&A climate studies typically use natural internal variability (“noise”) estimated from long pre-industrial control runs5–11. We rely on several different noise estimates here (a detailed description of signal and noise calculations is provided in the Methods section). One source is from a WACCM simulation representing atmospheric conditions prior to the onset of large ozone losses in the 1980s. Such conditions were specified in the “historical” scenario, in which both GHG and ODS concentrations evolve over 1955 to 1974. A second source of noise information is from the WACCM refC2 scenario, in which the GHG and ODS levels are comparable to present-day conditions.
Figure 2a-b show the month-height patterns of noise, defined here as the standard deviation of ozone trends in the two separate 10-member WACCM historical and refC2 ensembles. The amplitude of internal variability in these 14-year ozone trends (2005-2018) varies markedly as a function of altitude and month. The noise patterns of the ozone trends in the CCMI models under the refC2 scenario are qualitatively similar to those of WACCM, but the CCMI multi-model ensemble also reflects different model responses and possible errors34–36 which can inflate noise compared to a single-model ensemble (see Extended Data Figure 4a).
Although generated with the same physical climate model, the WACCM historical and refC2 simulations exhibit certain notable differences in the amplitude of the internal variability of ozone trends. This is especially important in the austral spring in the lower stratosphere where the ozone “hole” typically occurs (marked with the white dashed boxes in Figure 2). This indicates that the forcing differences in the two scenarios directly affect internal noise. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for forced changes in variability when examining ozone recovery. The enhanced ozone variability can affect the estimated statistical significance of the observed ozone trends.
For accurate analysis of the statistical significance of ozone recovery, it is critical that the model-based noise is realistic. Figure 2c shows the distributions of ozone monthly anomalies from MLS and model simulations (after removing the mean forced response) relative to the present-day MLS climatology, in the region highlighted by the white dashed boxes in Figure 2a,b. This information is displayed in Figure 2d in the form of distributions of the absolute ozone monthly mixing ratios. The distributions of internal variability of monthly ozone in MLS and in the WACCM refC2 scenario are virtually identical in Figure 2c,d. Interestingly, there is a striking enhancement in ozone variability under the refC2 scenario; the standard deviation is increased by 130% compared to the historical scenario. GHG forcing alone (the fODS scenario, with low ODS but high GHG) yields a narrow spread in ozone variability similar to the historical case, confirming that the variability enhancement is primarily driven by ODS forcing.
Such enhancement can be understood by noting that the weak (strong) Brewer-Dobson circulations associated with internal variability can be expected to lead to large negative (positive) temperature anomalies37–39. The heterogeneous chemistry and the ozone depletion due to ODS are more effective under colder conditions2, extending the lower tail of the distribution of absolute ozone concentration40 (Figure 2d). Because low ozone concentrations are confined within the vortex41, vortex variations (e.g., changes in size, shape, and position) can also contribute to the ozone internal variability when concentrations are spatially averaged over a fixed latitude range. This sensitivity to the choice of averaging area extends from austral spring to austral summer when the vortex breaks up42. A similar enhancement in simulated ozone variability under high ODS was reported in the Arctic, albeit with a model that does not have an interactive ocean43. This enhancement in ozone variability due to ODS forcing sheds light on a potential pathway for external forcing to modulate specific modes of natural internal variability, such as the Southern Annular Mode44.
Signal-to-noise analysis of ozone changes: local and overall pattern
Figure 3d shows the “local” (at individual months and heights) signal to noise (S/N) ratio inferred from WACCM for a trend length of 14 years (2005 to 2018). In Figure 3c, the mean forced signal from WACCM is replaced by the MLS observed trend, which contains both the forced response and internal variability. A larger local S/N ratio indicates increased likelihood that the ozone trend is anthropogenically forced, with 95% and 90% confidence indicated by backslashes and dots (respectively). Based on the WACCM S/N for the refC2 scenario, ozone recovery (as a forced response to GHG and ODS forcing) can be detected with high confidence by 2018 in certain months and heights. In the upper stratosphere, recovery is significantly larger than internal variability in every month except during winter, when it propagates to the middle stratosphere due to polar descent. There is also a relative maximum in local S/N in September in the lower stratosphere in MLS and in the WACCM ensemble mean. The overall pattern of local S/N is similar in CCMI, but statistical significance is lower in several key regions (Extended Data Figure 5). This is expected given that the multi-model CCMI noise does not reflect intrinsic variability alone and is larger than in single-model WACCM refC2.
The WACCM simulations used here do not include major volcanic eruptions thought to have influenced observed ozone after 2012 (e.g., Calbuco and Hunga eruptions), nor do they account for exceptional wildfires, such as those in Australia in 2020. To explore the impact of the later events, we performed a local S/N analysis over a longer period (2005-2023; see Extended Data Figure 6). The month-height local S/N pattern over 2005-2023 shows many features similar to those in Figures 3c,d, but also pronounced differences between WACCM and MLS, especially in the mid-stratosphere in October-December. Note that Antarctic ozone trends in the mid-stratosphere in these months are particularly sensitive to the end points, and that may be exacerbated by changes in the vortex. As illustrated for example in Extended Data Figures 7 and 8, visual inspection of time series and maps illustrates how a shift of the vortex off the pole affects how it is sampled in a spatial average calculated with fixed latitudinal boundaries. Our results indicate that ozone trends may be highly sensitive to the choice of domain for spatial averaging, and to how well a given domain samples temporal changes in vortex location and shape. Consideration of such sampling issues, together with simulations that account for the exceptional forcings26,45,46, would be expected to provide better agreement with the observed ozone trends.
In addition to the “local” S/N analysis described above, we also performed a S/N analysis using the overall month-height fingerprint pattern of Antarctic ozone trends since 2005 (see Methods section). The local S/N analysis (Figure 3) and the S/N analysis of the similarity of this fingerprint pattern (Figure 4) provide strong evidence that the observed time-space structure of ozone changes over Antarctica is consistent with time-evolving ODS and GHG forcing. And the observed changes during 2005-2018 are inconsistent with natural internal variability alone (with 95% confidence for the observed MLS pattern projected on both WACCM and on CCMI month-height fingerprints). Although the exceptional ozone years in and after 2020 lower the overall S/N in Figure 4, MLS trends projected on WACCM results (which neglect these events as well as the sampling concerns as noted above), nonetheless remain significant at the 90% confidence level as late as the end of 2023.
Antarctic springtime total ozone recovery
Signs of total column ozone recovery are often sought during the Antarctic spring4, the season when the ozone hole maximizes in depth and extent. The emergence of ozone recovery after 2005 in September occurs around 2018 both in terms of ozone at a single illustrative level (82.5 hPa) in Figure 3e and in terms of the total column ozone (TCO) in Extended Data Figure 9a, where the observed TCO is from the OMI47 (Ozone Monitoring Instrument). Even with exceptionally low ozone in and after 2020 (which may be related to unusual wildfire and volcanic emissions lofted into the stratosphere), the total ozone healing signal from the satellite data is still outside the noise with a 95% confidence in September.
A recent study raises the concern that October ozone in the middle stratosphere as well as the column ozone has significantly decreased48. We note that although the TCO trend in October is negative, the trend is well within the internal variability (Extended Data Figure 9b). The emergence of ozone recovery due to GHG and ODS forcing (based on the WACCM ensemble mean signal) in both October and November had been expected around 2021 under typical conditions (Extended Data Figure 9b,c). However, the unusually low ozone years in and after 2020 may have delayed detection in the observations. This underscores the importance of maintaining a long observation record to ensure high confidence in detecting and attributing future ozone recovery at this time of year.