Causes and effects of ozone layer depletion that are truly dangerous duration. The ozone is a protective layer that occurs naturally in the stratosphere, 6 to 28 miles in altitude. How does ozone depletion affect uv levels and life on earth. The ozone layer forms a most important part of the earths stratosphere as it can absorb most of the uv radiation and prevent it from reaching the surface of the earth. On this day of september 16, marked as the ozone layer day, let use try to know some of the basics of ozone layer like what is ozone layer, importance of ozone layer, how ozone layer gets depleted, effects of depletion of ozone layer, how to prevent depletion of ozone layer, montreal protocol, our role in preventing ozone layer etc. The causes of ozone layer depletion are mainly responsible for depleting ozone. The word ozone means smelly in greek because the gas has a strong odor. The ban on the cfcs resulted in about 20 per cent less ozone depletion during the antarctic winter from 2005 to 2016, while chlorine levels declined by an average 0. Ozone holes are popular names for areas of damage to the ozone layer. Ozone depletion atmospheric ozone layer depletion is a serious problem currently facing the world. The ozone layer is a layer with high ozone concentration in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. This is why it is so important that we protect our precious ozone layer. This layer absorbs the radiations and prohibits them from entering the outer surface of the earth.
Effects of ozone depletion for humans and the environment. The most concentrated part is located at an altitude of 2025 kilometers. Health and environmental effects of ozone layer depletion. If the ultra violet rays of sun reaches directly to the earth surface, the temperature of the lower atmosphere will be increased.
Ozone layer latest news on ozone layer read breaking. First it absorbs some of the higher energy uv rays from the sun in the same way a cloud absorbs and reflect some of the visible light. Low temperatures, increase in the level of chlorine and bromine gases in the upper stratosphere are some of the reasons that leads to ozone layer depletion. Depletion of the ozone layer has consequences on humans, animals, and plants. The production and emission of chlorofluorocarbons cfcs, is the leading cause of ozone layer depletion. If the ozone of the ozone layer is calibrated to the standard case, its thickness is only about 3 mm on average. Lets have a look at some of the solutions to ozone layer depletion. This is apparently found in the lowest region of the stratosphere. Causes of ozone layer depletion ozone layer environment. The latter phenomenon is referred to as the ozone hole. The ozone layer lies approximately 1540 kilometers 1025 miles above the earths surface, in the stratosphere. Ozone is very effective within the uvc wavelength range of 200280 nm, somewhat less so in the uvb range of 280.
Approximately 90 percent of the atmospheres ozone occurs from 1018 km 611 miles to. Find out what caused the ozone hole, and how the 1989 montreal protocol sought to put an end to ozone depletion. This, in turn, will lead to the breakdown of ozone. Ozone layer importance, depletion, effects and protection of ozone layer may 23, 2019 author chemistry, geology and astronomy 0 ozone is a paleblue gas that forms a layer in the stratosphere of our atmosphere called ozone layer. Basic ozone layer science ozone layer protection us epa. The ozone layer helps to protect life from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Exposure to uv rays from the sun can lead to increased risk for developing of several types of skin cancers. In fact whole world is vulnerable to its after affects. However, the fact that there also exists another layer strong enough to stop the former one is comforting. Causes, effects and solutions of ozone layer depletion. Methyl bromide is the single largest contributor of stratospheric br and an important contributor to stratospheric ozone depletion. Negative effects include increases in certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.
Short paragraph on harmful effects of ozone layer depletion. Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, if humans stop putting cfcs and other ozone destroying chemicals into the stratosphere, the ozone layer eventually may repair itself. Cfc molecules are highly stable and can last for up to 100 years. Depletion of o3 can increase uv radiation entering earth surface. A combination of low temperatures, elevated chlorine, and bromine concentrations in the upper stratosphere are responsible for the destruction of ozone.
In lower atmosphere, atmospheric oxygen get dissociated and subsequently combines with molecular oxygen of the. Following is the list of some of the main ozone depleting substances and the sources from where they are released. The ozone layer protects humans, animals, and plants from harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone is a triatomic form of oxygen o 3, found in the earths atmosphere. The ozone layer is important because it filters harmful ultraviolet radiation as it travels from the sun to the surface of the earth.
Money and time are being spent on ozone repair, but the problem still exists. Reduced ozone levels as a result of ozone depletion ozone depletiona chemical destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer beyond natural reactions. The most severe depletion of the ozone layer occurs over the south pole in late winter and early spring. Ozone layer importance, depletion, effects and protection. The first report of depletion in o 3 layer came out in the 1980s by an atmospheric scientist in antarctica. Now we will see some of the important effects of ozone layer depletion. These ultraviolet rays can harm both plant and animal life. The earths ozone layer ozone layerthe region of the stratosphere containing the bulk of atmospheric ozone. As the result the local climate will be changed, beside this the level of the sea will be increased as the continental and mountain glacier will be. One chlorine molecule from a cfc can destroy up to 100,000 ozone molecules.
After observation of a depletion of the ozone layer from the addition of chlorofluorocarbons and other manmade chemicals, the montreal protocol was. Many people are unaware of all these important facts. However, some people intentionally take such serious things very lightly. The ozone layer is a region of the stratosphere containing ozone, or o3 gas. Chemical ban helped closing up of ozone layer hole. In the 1980s, due to manufacturing processes and home use of cfcs, a hole in the ozone layer covering many millions of square miles above antarctica had formed. Ozone depletion consists of two related events observed since the late 1970s. The parts of the uv light absorbed or reflected is very harsh on the. All of us are aware of how the concern related to depletion of ozone layer and the ozone hole, which also led to the ban of many chemicals such as the chlorofluorocarbon cfc. Unlike pollution, which has many types and causes, ozone depletion has been pinned down to one major human activity. Rush limbaugh argues that humans are safe, because volcanic chlorine has been working on the ozone layer longer than manmade chlorine, and yet were. Ozone is also found much nearer the ground, in the troposphere, the lowest level of earths atmosphere. Soils have recently been identified as a significant sink of.
At that time, the ozone layer is reduced to as little as 100 dobson units, or about the thickness of a dime. Ozone layer depletion the importance of stratospheric. Since it was discovered, this ozone hole has grown larger in each successive antarctic winter before it disappears in the summer. The montreal protocol in 1987 has been successful in curbing many of the substances that are most destructive to the ozone layer. Ozone present in the stratosphere forms a protective layer and known as ozone layer, ozonosphere or ozone umbrella its concentration in atmosphere is about 10 ppm. Ozone depletion the term ozone depletion means more than just the natural destruction of ozone, it means that ozone loss is exceeding ozone creation. Hence, cfcs are transporting agents that are responsible for damaging the ozone layer. The experts have blamed the ozone layer depletion on manmade chemicals containing chlorine and bromine that are emitted from a number of products and industrial processes. You may have heard that an enormous hole in the ozone layer had once formed in the atmosphere. Ozone layer depletion the importance of stratospheric ozone. Summarize the research findings on the ozone layer, beginning in the 1970s identify the importance of the montreal protocol as it was originally signed and as it stands today to unlock this lesson. Humans research confirms that high levels of uv rays cause nonmelanoma skin cancer. But the one and the most important reason for ozone layer depletion is the production and emission of. There are also springtime polar tropospheric ozone depletion.
Unlike the ozone that occurs naturally in the stratosphere, tropospheric ozone is manmade, an indirect result of air pollution created by automobile. What we all need to understand is the idea that we all are going to have to face the repercussions of ozone layer depletion. Depletion of this layer by ozone depleting substances ods will lead to higher uvb levels, which in turn will cause increased skin cancers and cataracts and potential damage. Ozone depleting substances are the substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, halons, carbon tetrachloride, hydrofluorocarbons, etc. The importance of the ozone like an infection that grows more and more virulent, the continentsize hole in earths ozone layer keeps getting bigger and biggerbeyond discovery.
Ozone layer, region of the upper atmosphere, between roughly 15 and 35 km 9 and 22 miles above earths surface, containing relatively high concentrations of ozone molecules. The increase in the levels of uv rays lead to high rate of skin cancer and eye related problems. In the upper atmosphere, atmospheric gases absorbs the suns radiation, get ionized, and release molecules. Causes and effects of ozone layer depletion that are. The ozone layer serves as an umbrella or protective shield of the troposphere and saves the earths surface from most of the ultra violet solar radiation by absorbing the ultra violet rays. Ozone is a paleblue gas that forms a layer in the stratosphere of our atmosphere called ozone layer. Additionally, it plays a major role in malignant melanoma development. Ozone depletion facts and information national geographic. Essay on ozone depletion and the environment 1505 words. What are the most important agents of ozone depletion. Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, it would be very difficult for anything to survive on the surface.
The cause of ozone layer depletion are discussed below effect of climate. Ozone layer damage is more like a really thin patch than a hole. This layer absorbs about 99% harmful solar radiations like uv rays, x rays, gamma rays etc. Initially we have published 500 word article for ozone layer depletion. The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over antarctica.
According to what i have read, a group of chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons or cfcs, that were created as refrigerants during the 1930s, were later discovered to accumulate in the stratosphere and deplete the ozone layer. Ozone depletion, gradual thinning of earth s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. There had been a lot of research on this topic over these years to find out all the possible causes that lead to this problem and the effects of ozone depletion. This typically results from higher uv levels reaching us on earth. Ozone layer depletion causes increased uv radiation levels at the earths surface, which is damaging to human health. Industries that manufacture things like insulating foams, solvents, soaps, cooling things like air conditioners. Ozone is harmful at ground level but high up the atmosphere ozone layer plays a vital role in the protection of all living beings. Stratospheric ozone is biologically important because it selectively absorbs much of the incoming solar electromagnetic radiation within the ultraviolet uv range. Depletion to ozone layer depletion does not affect a region or a country. Ozone layer depletion causes, effects and solutions 7.
Ozone depletion and the environment there is overwhelming scientific evidence that manmade chemicals are destroying the ozone layer nobel prizes have already been awarded for the research. The most important lesson from 83,000 brain scans daniel amen. Ozone layer depletion is simply the wearing out reduction of the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. In the 1970s, people all over the world started realizing that the ozone layer. Ozone layer depletion cause, effects, and solutions.
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