Analysis of nonlinear variability in surface ozone concentration series observed in Antarctica

The data from measurements of surface ozone concentrations and surface meteorological parameters at Antarctic stations Molodezhnaya and Mirnyi in spring 1987 and summer 1988 are analyzed. The correlation dimensions of the time series for the periods of developed cyclonic activity and the period of prevailing slope wind are calculated. The analysis reveals a fundamental difference in the dynamics of the variability of the surface ozone and the surface wind direction between the periods of cyclonic activity on the one hand and the period of slope wind on the other hand. In the first case, the values of the correlation dimension that correspond to diurnal cycles are founded to be about 1 for ozone and in the range from 1 to 2 for the wind direction. In the second case, the dynamics of variations of the surface ozone and the surface wind direction does not reveal any finite correlation dimension in the range of intra- and interdiurnal variability. It is supposed that the main mechanism of the discovered diurnal cycle of the surface ozone concentration with nocturnal maxima and daylight-hour minima is due to the diurnal rotation of the surface wind direction, namely, the nocturnal, enhancement of the circulation related to slope winds.