Ozone is a pale blue gas, slightly soluble in water and much more soluble in inert non-

polar solvents such as carbon tetrachloride or fluorocarbons, where it forms a blue

solution. At -112 °C, it condenses to form a dark blue liquid. It is dangerous to allow this
liquid to warm to its boiling point, because both concentrated gaseous ozone and liquid
ozone can detonate. At temperatures below -193 °C, it forms a violet-black solid.[5]
Most people can detect about 0.01 ppm of ozone in air where it has a very specific sharp
odor somewhat resembling chlorine bleach. Exposure of 0.1 to 1 ppm produces
headaches, burning eyes, and irritation to the respiratory passages.[6] Even low
concentrations of ozone in air are very destructive to organic materials such as latex,
plastics, and lungs.
Ozone is diamagnetic, meaning that it will resist formation of a magnetic field and will
decrease the energy stored in the field once the field is established.
Ozone (O3) is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of
oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic O2. Ground-level ozone is an air
pollutant with harmful effects on the respiratory systems of animals. The ozone layer in
the upper atmosphere filters potentially damaging ultraviolet light from reaching the
Earth's surface. It is present in low concentrations throughout the Earth's atmosphere. It
has many industrial and consumer applications.
Ozone, the first allotrope of a chemical element to be recognized by science, was
proposed as a distinct chemical compound by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1840,
who named it after the Greek verb ozein (ὄζειν, "to smell"), from the peculiar odor in
lightning storms.[1]HYPERLINK \l "cite_note-1"[2] The formula for ozone, O3, was not
determined until 1865 by Jacques-Louis SoretHYPERLINK \l "cite_note-2"[3] and
confirmed by Schönbein in 1867.[1]HYPERLINK \l "cite_note-3"[4]
In TVOntario's award winning documentary, "The Greenhouse Effect", renowned
climatologist Dr. Stephen Schneider is asked about what we should do to combat climate
change. His answer was multiple choice.
"In science what we like to do is create a model that will enable us to see the impact of
our experiment. In this case, we need to be able to measure the effect that various levels
of carbon dioxide will have on our planetary systems. Since we can't exactly create a
duplicate Earth, we have two other alternatives," said Schneider. "We can B) do those
things that make sense anyway, like reducing emissions and cutting energy consumption,
or C) we can do nothing and let the experiment perform itself."
Clearly, the right answer was B). Unfortunately, as a species we've made it pretty clear
that A) we're really bad at multiple choice, and/or B) we weren’t paying attention in
class. Since Schneider's comments were made back in 1989, and carbon dioxide levels
have continued to rise in the atmosphere every year since, we are all now stuck with C)
letting the experiment perform itself.
As recent reports have clearly indicated, this is really not good. Unfortunately, it's way
too late to pick up our Climate Change 101 credit at summer school. Earlier this week
Jim Hansen, (who coincidentally was also featured in the 1989 TVOntario documentary),
expressed his own mounting concerns. Dr. Hansen, who is the director of the NASA
Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, stated,
"A satellite study of the Greenland ice cap shows that it is melting far faster than
scientists had feared - twice as much ice is going into the sea as it was five years ago. The
implications for rising sea levels - and climate change - could be dramatic."
Unfortunately, when he tried to talk to the media about these issues, he was blocked by
Bush appointees to the NASA public affairs team. It would appear that talk about
dramatically reducing our greenhouse gas emissions might be bad for the oil business as
well as the president's increasingly poor approval ratings.
But the joke (however bad) might be on the Bush administration after all. If Hansen is
correct, we may already be at the tipping point. "The last time the world was three
degrees warmer than today - which is what we expect later this century - sea levels were
25 m higher," said Dr. Hansen. He is among the increasing number of scientists who
believe that rising sea levels may be even more harmful than the warmer temperatures
that have caused them.
Even ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer joined in fray this week with her report on the
melting of the Greenland ice sheet. While her predictions of a 21 foot (6.4 m) increase in
sea –levels aren't quite as nasty as Dr. Hansen's; the result would be the same - the
inundation of many coastal areas. Since the majority of the world's largest cities lie on a
seacoast, the Manhattan skyline (among many others) may soon experience a re-
sculpturing that will make the fall of the World Trade Center look like child's play.
But that's not the beginning of troubles for Mr. Bush et al. Gulf of Mexico oil production
could be seriously impacted by rising sea levels and the accompanying storms
(Remember Katrina?)
Just when it looked like the news couldn't get any worse, a new report published in the
respected science journal, Nature, says that rising carbon dioxide levels are also causing
plant life to absorb less water. The result is a huge increase in run-off, which in turn
dramatically increases the risk of flooding and mudslides. As if to reinforce the point,
Mother Nature recently buried an estimated thousand people under 35 metres of mud in
the Philippines.
Let's recap: Weren't paying attention in class; can't do summer school; catastrophic
climate change is putting "an end to the world as we know it" and I really don't feel fine.
The good news is that there may still be time to cram for the final exam. If Hansen is
right, we have about a decade to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. This means focusing
on energy efficiency and renewable energy. And since procrastination is no longer a
personal option, this also means turn down your thermostat, park your gas-guzzling
vehicle and learn what else you can do. Oh, and take swimming lessons. You might just
need them.