Comparison of geophysical patterns in the southern hemisphere mid-latitude region

The effects of high-energy particle precipitation on mesospheric and stratospheric ozone have been investigated during the last decades. However, while these effects have been widely discussed for the auroral region, little is known about the role of the high-energy particle precipitation on the stratospheric composition and thermal structure in the tropical/subtropical region. Here we show that the spatial distribution of both the stratospheric ozone and temperature in the southern hemisphere matches the pattern of the Southern Hemisphere Magnetic Anomaly. We found that during the austral winter and spring, in the subtropical region (below 30 S), the reduction of the stratospheric ozone and temperature occurs systematically in the magnetic anomaly area. The differences between the temperatures inside the magnetic anomaly (60 degrees W) and outside the anomaly (150 degrees E) for 42.5 degrees S from June to November are higher than 2 K. The maximum difference at this latitude is approximately 5.9 K and occurs in October during the austral spring. (C) 2016 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.