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The Ozone Layer (The Good Ozone) : Aurora

The document discusses the ozone layer and the causes and effects of ozone depletion. It explains that [1] ozone exists naturally in the stratosphere and protects life on Earth by absorbing UV radiation, but CFCs released from products like refrigerators and aerosol sprays react with ozone molecules and cause holes to form. [2] Ozone depletion leads to increases in harmful UV radiation reaching the surface, which damages ecosystems, harms human health through skin cancer and eye diseases, and affects phytoplankton and aquatic life. [3] Scientists monitor ozone levels using instruments on balloons, planes, and ground detectors to track the loss over time.

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32 views

The Ozone Layer (The Good Ozone) : Aurora

The document discusses the ozone layer and the causes and effects of ozone depletion. It explains that [1] ozone exists naturally in the stratosphere and protects life on Earth by absorbing UV radiation, but CFCs released from products like refrigerators and aerosol sprays react with ozone molecules and cause holes to form. [2] Ozone depletion leads to increases in harmful UV radiation reaching the surface, which damages ecosystems, harms human health through skin cancer and eye diseases, and affects phytoplankton and aquatic life. [3] Scientists monitor ozone levels using instruments on balloons, planes, and ground detectors to track the loss over time.

Uploaded by

pgbernstein
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Ozone Layer Aurora

(The Good Ozone)

OZONE LAYER
Good life at the beach threatened?

Mr. OZONE: Will I be able to continue enjoying


this life without problems?
What is Ozone? Ozone Layer?
• Ozone (O3) is a highly-reactive from of oxygen.
• Unlike oxygen (O2), ozone has a strong scent and is
blue in color.
• Ozone exists within both the tropospheric and
stratospheric zones of the Earth’s atmosphere
• In the troposphere, ground level ozone is a major air
pollutant and primary constituent of photochemical
smog
• In the stratosphere, the ozone layer is an essential
protector of life on earth as it absorbs harmful UV
radiation before it reaches the earth.
What is ozone depletion?
• Ozone depletion refers to a lowered
concentration of ozone in the upper
atmosphere (stratosphere)

 
• “Holes” are formed
• More UV radiation is reaching the Earth’s
surface
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

October ozone levels over Antarctica since the late 1950s.


CFC’s and ozone depletion
• Chlorofluorocarbons are created
and used in refrigerators and air
conditioners.
• These chlorofluorocarbons are
not harmful to humans and have
been a benefit to us.
• Once released into the
atmosphere, chlorofluorocarbons
are bombarded and destroyed by
ultraviolet rays. In the process
chlorine is released to destroy the
ozone molecules
Destruction of ozone by chlorine

• Molecular oxygen (O2) is broken down in the stratosphere by solar


radiation to yield atomic oxygen (O)
• O then combines with molecular oxygen (O2) to produce ozone.
• The ozone is then destroyed by chlorine atoms.
What are other causes of ozone
depletion?
• Presence of oxides of nitrogen
• Presence of halogens

• Presence of bromine
The radicals would speed up the loss of
ozone because they constantly re-emerge
to trigger another reaction
What effects ozone?
Effects of UV rays on Aquatic Ecosystems
Ozone depletion causes increases in UV
rays’s effects on aquatic ecosystems by:
1. decreasing the abundance of phytoplankton –
affects the food stock for fishes and the
absorption of CO2
2. decreasing the diversity of aquatic organisms –
reduces food stock and also destroys several
fish and amphibians.
Effects of UV rays on Terrestrial
Ecosystems
• Damage to plant cell DNA molecules - makes
plants more susceptible to pathogens and
pests

• Reductions in photosynthetic capacity in the plant


- results in slower growth and smaller leaves
• Causes mutations in mammalian cells and
destroys membranes
Harmful effects of UV rays on
people
• Skin cancer
• Premature aging (photoaging) of the skin
(different from normal chronological aging)
• Cataracts and eye disorders (corneal
sunburn and blindness)
• Immune system damage
How can we determine how much is being lost?
• Scientists use remote sensing to determine ozone amounts;
– One such instrument is an (a) ozonesonde which includes a
balloon that carries the instrument up more than 21 miles (33.8
kilometers) high to the stratosphere
– (b) aircraft that can fly especially high can also reach the lower
stratosphere to measure the ozone in the air
– (c) UV detectors on the ground measure how much UV light has
penetrated the ozone layer to reach the surface of the earth,
which gives us clues as to how much ozone is in the
atmosphere.
– Both ground stations and planes can use (d) lasers to detect
ozone
Antarctic Ozone Levels, Fall, 1995. In dobson units (DU). During the deepest ozone
loss, the center of the hole (red area) can drop below 100 DU. Since normal values are
usually around 300, the worst holes can reach over 70% depletion.
Source: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/science/hole/holehome.html
Ozone hole in September 2006

“Largest hole in the record.”


~Size of North America

Source: NASA
What can we do to solve the
problems of ozone depletion?

• Reduce emissions of ozone-depleting


chemicals
• Reduce the uses of aerosol sprays
• Use the aerosol sprays that are free of
CFC compounds instead

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