Ozone Layer

The Ozone Layer

It acts as a sun block and filters out the dangerous ultra-violet rays from the sun ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). The Earth's atmosphere is broken up into two layers that have to do with ozone ("Ozone Layer"). The troposphere is the lowest layer ("Ozone Layer"). It extends from Earth's surface up to about ten kilometers in altitude ("Ozone Layer"). All most all human activities happen in this layer ("Ozone Layer"). The next layer is the stratosphere ("Ozone Layer"). It continues from ten kilometers to fifty kilometers above Earth ("Ozone Layer"). All most all airplanes fly in the lowest part of this layer ("Ozone Layer"). 80 percent of the protective ozone layer is in the lower stratosphere ("Ozone Loss Declining"). "Stratospheric ozone is created by the sun's ultra-violet radiation, which splits apart molecules of oxygen producing oxygen atoms that combine with other oxygen molecules to form ozone" (Edelson 19). The Ozone Layer is most concentrated between twelve and twenty miles above Earth (Fisher 14). The Ozone Layer protects Earth from ultra-violet rays from the sun ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Humans and most animals would not survive without the Ozone Layer to protect them (Fisher 14).

In 1984 the ozone hole over Antarctica was discovered and people began monitoring the Ozone Layer ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). An ozone hole is made when the amount of ozone decreases by up to fifty percent for two or more months (Stoker 894). Ozone is a naturally occurring gas found in the stratosphere and the troposphere ("Ozone Layer"). "Unlike oxygen, ozone is a poisonous gas and an increase in its concentration at ground-level is not something that we want and can be harmful"

(Ozone Depletion). To measure the amount of ozone in the upper atmosphere, scientists use instruments on aircrafts, balloons, and satellites (Stoker 894). "Scientists around the world regularly monitor ozone-depleting substances and the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. In Australia the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research jointly manage the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station location located in remote north-western Tasmania" ("Ozone Depletion 1). "Until recently, the total amount of ozone usually stays constant because its formation and destruction occur at about the same rate but human activity changed the natural balance" ("Ozone Depletion"). The hole over Antarctica was all most the same size as the United States in October of 1987 ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Antarctica's winter weather produces chemicals that can destroy ozone which made its hole larger than others (Stoker 894). Another contribution to the much larger hole over Antarctica is during the spring time more sunlight triggers chemical reactions that destroy ozone (Stoker 894) and "the air above Antarctica is isolated from the rest of the atmosphere" ("Ozone Depletion"). "The ozone depleting reactions take place only under certain conditions in the atmosphere like in extreme cold, darkness and isolation, followed by exposure to light which occur over the polar regions after the long polar winter has finished and spring begins" ("Ozone Depletion"). "The National Academy of Sciences estimated ozone destruction to be caused by chlorofluorocarbons also known as CFC's ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). CFC's are less harmful near the Earth's surface but they destroy ozone much faster then the ozone can be formed or reformed ("Ozone Depletion"). In 1980 they estimated that it caused eighteen percent of the destruction,

seven percent in 1982, and two to four percent in 1984" (Edelson 19). The depletion of the Ozone Layer is a global issue and not just a problem over the South Pole ("Ozone Layer"). Research shows that ozone depletion occurs over North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America ("Ozone Layer"). The ozone levels above the United States fall five to ten percent every few years depending on the season ("Ozone Layer").

"Protecting the Ozone Layer calls for cooperation between all countries ad the development of an all-inclusive strategy that would involve governments, the private sector and individuals," says Mr. J.E. Afful ("Ozone Quotes").

Some causes of ozone depletion are air conditioners, refrigerators, foam insulation, cleaning fluids, industrial solvents, aerosol sprays, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, and freezers ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Chlorofluorocarbons are one of the main causes of ozone depletion. "When ultra-violet light waves strike CFC molecules a carbon-chlorine bond breaks producing a chlorine atom. The chlorine atom then reacts with ozone and destroying it" ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). "Because molecular hydrogen mixes with stratospheric air, there would be additional water in higher altitudes, which could dampen the stratosphere and could result in the cooling of the lower stratosphere and break down ozone. In this respect, hydrogen is similar to chlorofluorocarbons" (California Institute of Technology) "If hydrogen were to replace fossil fuels entirely, researchers estimate that 60 to 120 trillion grams of hydrogen would be released each year in to the atmosphere" (California Institute of Technology). A

hydrogen economy could cause as much as a ten percent decrease in stratospheric ozone (California Institute of Technology).

"A significant thinning of the Ozone Layer would jeopardize all life on the planet. Ozone depletion of fifty percent or more could cause more than 150 million cases of skin cancer worldwide by 2075" (Fisher 26). "A depletion of five percent is estimated to result in 40,000 extra cases of skin cancer each year in the United States alone" (Fisher 27). The UV radiation can also cause benign skin tumors, melanoma, and cancerous tumors ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Other effects to humans are damage to the immune system, cataracts, and other eye damages (Newton 13). It can affect forest productivity and plant growth ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Crops can be damaged by too much UV radiation ("The Chemistry of the Ozone Layer"). Marine organisms