Ozone measurements from 1970 to 1984 from the Nimbus 4 backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) and the Nimbus 7 solar backscattered ultraviolet (SBUV) spectrometers show significant decrease in total ozone only after 1979. The downward trend is most apparent in October south of 70°S in the longitude zone 0° to 30°W where planetary wave activity is weak. Outside this longitude region, the trend in total Ozone is much smaller due to strong interannual variability of wave activity. This paper gives a phenomenological description of ozone depletion in the Antarctic region based on vertical advection and transient planetary wav