Ozone Layer Explained
Ozone is an extremely rare gas in the atmosphere and is essential to life as we know it. 90% of the ozone gases exist in the stratosphere located approx. 20 km’s above the Earths. It absorbs most of the harmful Ultra-Violet-B Radiation from the Sun and completely blocks out lethal UV-C Radiation.
Depleting Ozone leads to more harmful radiation reaching Earths’ surface, resulting in increased human cancers and immune deficiency, damage to crops reducing plant yields, damage to ocean eco-systems, reduced fishing yields and adverse effects on animals.
Ozone depletion results in thinning of the ozone layer with the appearance of a “hole” at the North Pole, Antarctic region. Low temperature polar vortex clouds formed in the stratosphere at (-780C), comprise of tiny particles of frozen water vapour, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides. These clouds act as reservoirs of Chlorine held by inactive compounds such as Hydrogen Chloride, Hydrochloric Acid and Chlorine Nitrate, which alone do not react with ozone.
Key conditions for ozone destruction are extreme cold + still air + Chlorine + UV Radiation. The coming of Spring brings the Sun and the ensuing UV Radiation encounters these clouds, catalysing reactions on their surfaces and converting the inactive compounds into reactive Chlorine Monoxide which attacks and destroys the ozone layer at an estimated rate of 1% per day.
Ozone hole and depletion results from emitted CFC’s, HCFC’s, Halons, Methyl Bromide and other ODS released to atmosphere. ODP reflects a combination of % weight of Chlorine atoms and the lifetime of the compound in the atmosphere or Estimated Atmospheric Life. The ozone layer has steadily weakened since measurements began in the early 80’s.
Depleting Ozone leads to more harmful radiation reaching Earths’ surface, resulting in increased human cancers and immune deficiency, damage to crops reducing plant yields, damage to ocean eco-systems, reduced fishing yields and adverse effects on animals.
Ozone depletion results in thinning of the ozone layer with the appearance of a “hole” at the North Pole, Antarctic region. Low temperature polar vortex clouds formed in the stratosphere at (-780C), comprise of tiny particles of frozen water vapour, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides. These clouds act as reservoirs of Chlorine held by inactive compounds such as Hydrogen Chloride, Hydrochloric Acid and Chlorine Nitrate, which alone do not react with ozone.
Key conditions for ozone destruction are extreme cold + still air + Chlorine + UV Radiation. The coming of Spring brings the Sun and the ensuing UV Radiation encounters these clouds, catalysing reactions on their surfaces and converting the inactive compounds into reactive Chlorine Monoxide which attacks and destroys the ozone layer at an estimated rate of 1% per day.
Ozone hole and depletion results from emitted CFC’s, HCFC’s, Halons, Methyl Bromide and other ODS released to atmosphere. ODP reflects a combination of % weight of Chlorine atoms and the lifetime of the compound in the atmosphere or Estimated Atmospheric Life. The ozone layer has steadily weakened since measurements began in the early 80’s.
