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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION OZONE LAYER DEPLETION OZONE HOLE REASONS CONSEQUENCES REFERENCE
The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). This layer absorbs 97-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth. Located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 15 km to 35 km above Earth's surface. Discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. World Ozone Day-September 16
INTRODUCTION
REASONS
CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons Halons, Methyl chloroform, Methyl bromide, Carbon tetrachloride
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride and several other chemicals are ozone-depleting substances. When CFCs and halons are released into the atmosphere, they rise slowly, taking up to seven years to reach the stratosphere. But once they are there, under the influence of the sun's ultraviolet light, chlorine is released and react with ozone, with a depletion of the ozone layer as a consequence.
This allows harmful solar UV radiation to pass through to the earth's surface. Because it takes so long for the CFCs and halons to reach the stratosphere, any reduction in their use on earth does not have an immediate effect on the concentration in the stratosphere. Some of the ozone depleting substances are persistent, remaining active in the atmosphere for up to 50 years.
Image of the largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded (September 2006).
CONSEQUENCES
Increased UV Impact on the oceans Effects on Crops Global warming Damage to materials Impact on land plants
Increased UV
Ozone, while a minority constituent in the earth's atmosphere, is responsible for most of the absorption of UVB radiation. The amount of UVB radiation that penetrates through the ozone layer decreases exponentially with the slant-path thickness/density of the layer. Correspondingly, a decrease in atmospheric ozone is expected to give rise to significantly increased levels of UVB near the surface.
Increases in surface UVB due to the ozone hole can be partially inferred by radiative transfer model calculations, but cannot be calculated from direct measurements because of the lack of reliable historical (pre-ozone-hole) surface UV data, although more recent surface UV observation measurement programmes exist Because it is this same UV radiation that creates ozone in the ozone layer from O2 (regular oxygen) in the first place, a reduction in stratospheric ozone would actually tend to increase photochemical production of ozone at lower levels (in the troposphere), although the overall observed trends in total column ozone still show a decrease, largely because ozone produced lower down has a naturally shorter photochemical lifetime, so it is destroyed before the concentrations could reach a level which would compensate for the ozone reduction higher up.
Effects on Crops
An increase of UV radiation would be expected to affect crops. A number of economically important species of plants, such as rice, depend on cyanobacteria residing on their roots for the retention of nitrogen. Cyanobacteria are sensitive to UV light and they would be affected by its increase
Global warming
Ozone-layer depletion seems likely to increase the rate of greenhouse warming, by reducing the effectiveness of the carbon dioxide sink in the oceans. Phytoplankton in the oceans assimilates large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Increased UV radiation will reduce phytoplankton activity significantly. This means that large amounts of carbon dioxide will remain in the atmosphere. A 10 percent decrease in carbon dioxide uptake by the oceans would leave about the same amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as is produced by fossil fuel burning.
Damage to materials
UV-radiation causes many materials to degrade more rapidly. Plastic materials used outdoors will have much shorter lifetimes with small increases of UV radiation. PVC sidings, window and door frames, pipes, gutters, etc. used in buildings degrade faster
REFERENCE
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion www.eco-action.org/dt/ozone.html esl.jrc.it/envind/pf_intro/pf_int06.htm www.ciesin.org/TG/OZ/cfcozn.html