ozone layer

Examples of ozone layer in the following topics:

• Polar Ozone Holes

  • Chlorofluorocarbons have disrupted stratospheric ozone generation, resulting in a thinning of the ozone layer at the poles.
  • There is a constant cycle of ozone formation and destruction in the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere.
  • Having destroyed two ozone molecules, the chlorine radical is produced once more and can destroy more ozone molecules.
  • This thinning is commonly referred to as a hole in the ozone layer, and it allows for harmful ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth.
  • The role of CFCs in the destruction of the ozone layer was determined in 1974, and a number of bans on CFCs were passed in the years that followed; these bans led to a decrease in the size of the holes in the ozone layer.

• Earth's Atmosphere

  • The next layer, the stratosphere, contains an ozone layer that results from the reaction of ionizing solar radiation with oxygen gas; this ozone layer is responsible for the absorption of UV light.
  • In the recent past, we have damaged our ozone layer by putting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) into the atmosphere.
  • The CFCs have damaged ozone, resulting in a hole in the ozone layer.
  • In recent years, CFCs have been banned and the ozone layer hole is shrinking.
  • A view of the Earth from space, looking from orbit beyond the exosphere, down through the layers of the thermosphere, mesosphere, and stratosphere, at a thick cloud layer topping the troposphere.

• Ozone Depletion

  • Free radicals in the upper stratosphere act as catalysts for ozone decomposition, thereby depleting the ozone layer.
  • Ozone depletion describes two distinct but related phenomena observed since the late 1970s: (1) a steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total volume of ozone in Earth's stratosphere (the ozone layer); and (2) a much larger springtime decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earth's polar regions.
  • Since the ozone layer prevents most harmful wavelengths (280-315 nm) of ultraviolet (UV) light from passing through Earth's atmosphere, observed and projected decreases in ozone have generated worldwide concern.
  • Because the ozone layer acts as a protectant, blocking most UVB wavelengths of UV light from piercing Earth's atmosphere, ozone depletion may result in a variety of biological consequences; these include increased cases of skin cancer, cataracts, and plant damage, as well as reduced plankton populations in the ocean's photic zone.
  • The reaction of these free radicals with ozone disrupts the ozone-oxygen cycle, leading to the destruction of stratospheric ozone and the depletion of the ozone layer.

• Glow of Space Shuttles

  • You may have heard of the ozone layer, which protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.

• Ozone

  • In total, ozone makes up only 0.6 parts per million of the atmosphere.
  • This makes ozone a potent respiratory hazard and pollutant near ground level.
  • However, the so-called ozone layer (a portion of the stratosphere with a higher concentration of ozone, from two to eight ppm) is beneficial.
  • It is dangerous to allow this liquid to warm to its boiling point because both concentrated gaseous ozone and liquid ozone can detonate.
  • Moreover, it is believed that the powerful oxidizing properties of ozone may be a contributing factor of inflammation.

• Air Pollution

  • Decreased stratospheric ozone: a depletion in ozone levels caused by the release of refrigerants, which produce free radicals that catalyze the decomposition of ozone.
  • Increased ozone concentrations at ground levels: an increase in surface ozone that contributes to smog.

• The Greenhouse Effect

  • Gases known as greenhouse gases, including water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and methane, absorb and trap this heat as it tries to escape from the atmosphere.
  • The cloud layer can also absorb infrared radiation and contribute further to the greenhouse effect.

• Photochemical Smog

  • Ultraviolet light can split nitrogen dioxide into nitric oxide and monatomic oxygen; this monatomic oxygen can then react with oxygen gas to form ozone.
  • Products like ozone, aldehydes, and peroxyacetyl nitrates are called secondary pollutants.
  • These oxidizing compounds have been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes; ozone, for example, is known to irritate the lungs.

• The Rate Law

  • The reaction between nitric oxide and ozone, $NO(g) + O_3(g)\rightarrow NO_2(g) + O_2(g)$ , is first order in both nitric oxide and ozone.

• Crystal Structure: Closest Packing

  • Spheres in one layer align to fit in the hollows formed in the previous layer.
  • The third layer aligns directly above the first layer.
  • Alternatively, the gaps in the first layer are covered by the second layer.
  • But the third layer is offset relative to the intersphere gaps of the first layer.
  • The third layer of spheres does not align with the first layer.