The Ozone Layer
The stratospheric ozone layer exists at altitudes between about 10 and 40km
depending on latitude, just above the tropopause. Its existence is crucial for
life on earth as we know it, because the ozone layer controls the absorption of
a portion of the deadly ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. UV-A rays, including
wavelengths between 320 and 400nm, are not affected by ozone. UV-C rays between
200 and 280nm, are absorbed by the other atmospheric constituents besides ozone.
It is the UV-B rays, between 280 and 320nm, absorbed only by ozone, that are of
the greatest concern. Any loss or destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer
could mean greater amount of UV-B radiation would reach the earth, creating
among other problems, an increase in skin cancer (melanoma) in humans. As UV-B
rays increase, the possibility of interferences with the normal life cycles of
animals and plants would become more of a reality, with the eventual possibility
of death.
Stratospheric ozone has been used for several decades as a tracer for
stratospheric circulation. Initial measurements were made by ozonesondes
attached to high altitude balloons, by chemical-sondes or optical devices, which
measured ozone concentrations through the depletion of UV light.
However, the need to measure ozone concentrations from the surface at regular
intervals, led to the development of the Dobson spectrophotometer in the 1960s.
The British Antarctic Survey has the responsibility to routinely monitor
stratospheric ozone levels over the Antarctic stations at Halley Bay (76°S 27°W)
and at Argentine Islands (65°S 64°W). Analysis of ozone measurements in 1984 by
a team led by John Farnam, made the startling discovery that spring values of
total ozone during the 1980-1984 period had fallen dramatically compared to the
earlier period between 1957-73. This decrease had only occurred for about six
weeks in the Southern Hemisphere spring and had begun in the spring of 1979.
This discovery placed the British scientists into the limelight of world
publicity, for it revived a somewhat sagging public interest in the potential
destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer by anthropogenic trace gases,
particularly nitrogen species and chlorofluorocarbons.
Ozone concentrations peak around an altitude of 30km in the tropics and around
15-20km over the polar regi...
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in September 1987. For the first time ever, 57 countries and organisations met
to make a specific decision to limit the emissions of a series of pollutants
which were likely to create major environmental problems affecting the globe in
the future. The eventual document adopted on September 16, 1987 and entitled
"The Montreal Protocol", was signed immediately by 24 countries and since has
been ratified by several more.
Works Cited
1. Jonathan Weiner, "Plant Earth", New York, Bantam Books, 1986
2. "Atmospheric Ozone, Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project" (Vol. 16,
Geneva 1985 International Organisation of Meteorology)
3. Lydia Dotto and Harold Sciff, "The Ozone War", Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday,
1978
4. John Gribbin, "The Hole in the Sky", N.Y., Bantam Books, 1988
5. James G. Titus, "Effect of Changes in Stratospheric Ozone and Global Climate"
Vol. 2, United Nations Environmental Programme
6. G. Levi, 1988, "Ozone depletion at the Poles", Physics Today
7. P. Bowman, 1988, "Global trends in total Ozone", Science
8. Hans U. Dutsch, "Vertical Ozone Distribution", International Centre for
Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
Neil Alden Armstrong was an astronaut and the first man ever to walk on the Moon.
Louis Armstrong was born August 4th, 1901 in New Orleans. He was born into a poor family and was the grandson of slaves. His father abandoned the family when Louis was an infant. His mother later left Louis and his younger sister and left them with Louis’ grandmother. At age 5, he moved back in with his mother, her relatives and a parade of “stepfathers”. He went to school at Fisk School for Boys. At this school is where he most likely had exposure to music. He sold many items for money but the money he got wasn’t enough to keep his mother away from prostitution. He was usually in the dance halls near home, where he learned everything from licentious dancing to the quadrille. He hauled coal to Storyville for extra money. He would listen to the bands playing in the brothels and dance halls.
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana to William Armstrong and Mary Albert (“Who is”). His father abandoned him shortly after his mother and him separated when Louis was five, and his mother would turn to prostitution so he mostly lived with his maternal grandmother and uncle (Biography). In 1913,
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the impoverished part of town, often called “The Battlefield”. He had one sister, Beatrice, who was born in 1903. His father, William Armstrong, was a factory worker and his mother, Mary Albert, resorted to prostitution to provide for the family after his father left. Because of this, Armstrong was often left with
Did you know that Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon? Neil Armstrong was a hard working astronaut who accomplishes his dream in America in 1960. First, he accomplishes his dream. Another reason, is that he is building a rocket. Finally, he flew to the moon.
To start off, Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, August 5th, 1930. (google.com) He was the eldest of his two other siblings. At the age of six he started taking an interest in airplanes after he was able to ride in an airplane for the first time. At only the age of fourteen he started taking flying lessons. (notablebiographies.com) On his sixteenth birthday he was able to earn his pilots license. Even though he was only 16 he built his very own wind tunnel. A wind tunnel is a tunnel where air is forced at speeds that are controlled to observe the effect of the winds flow. Even at this young age Neil was showing signs of interests in the careers of aeronautics, construction, and navigation of aircrafts. He also did experiments with the planes models he made. (notablebiographies.com) At sixteen years old the potential for becoming an astronaut was already showing.
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, Mary Albert was a 15 or 16 year old prostitute. He lived with his mother, whom he called Mayann, and his younger sister, Beatrice, whom he called Mama Lucy, and his grandmother. His Father, William Armstrong, seldom visited little Louis.
Neil Armstrong was the first person to ever land on the moon. Born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, he graduated from college in 1955 and joined the NASA team. In 1962, he became the first civilian to enter into an astronaut training program. In 1969, Armstrong headed the Apollo 11 mission, becoing the first human being to set foot on the moon. Other astronauts the accompanied Armstrong on this mission were Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins. In 1971, Armstrong became a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
As the ozone layer continues to be depleted, more harmful ultraviolet rays are able to penetrate the earth's atmosphere and are absorbed by its surface. Although the sun's emissions of UV rays remain constant, decreases in stratospheric ozone levels cause a reduction in the Earth's protection from the sun's harmful rays. Research has recently shown that over exposure to UV-B radiation can impair the body's ability to fight off disease, in addition to causing skin cancer and a range of eye disorders. Ultraviolet radiation also deleteriously affects plant growth by reducing leaf size and the...
The ozone layer diminishes more each year. As the area of polar ozone depletion (commonly called the ozone hole) gets larger, additional ultraviolet rays are allowed to pass through. These rays cause cancer, cataracts, and lowered immunity to diseases.1 What causes the depletion of the ozone layer?
Life according to scientists is “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death, also the way of life of a human being or animal.”("Life,”) In order for one to have life, one must have the nine characteristics to be considered a living thing. These nine characteristics are; all living things are made up of cells, living things are able to reproduce, living thing use energy, maintain homeostasis, respond and adapt to the environment, grow and develop, have a life span, evolve over time, and are interdependence. All of the nine characteristics have one thing in common, something that is needed for all living things to use, even if they do not know it. This beautiful thing that all living things should value is photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis there wouldn’t consist humans, animals, insects, and most importantly life!
effect. A lot of the rays from the sun are absorbed by water vapor that is naturally in our
In the second layer of earth’s atmosphere, also known as stratosphere the ozone continuously undergoes in formation and decomposition. The oxygen free...
The Ozone layer is like our shield that is 10 to about 30 miles above the earth. It protects the world from the sun’s harmful and crazy hot rays that can do serious damage to all living things. But it can also be bad of the ozone was too low to the earth’s surface it can pollute the air and kill or put people in critical condition. If it shrinks too much, which probably could happen, it would no longer keep us safe form the sun.
Born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Neil lived with his mother, Viola, his father, Stephen, and his two younger siblings, June and Dean Armstrong. Neil’s father was an auditor for the Ohio state government, and his mother was a stay-at home mom. The family moved around the state repeatedly after Neil’s birth, and during this time Neil began to love airplanes, and flying. He would read aviation magazines, build airplane models, was active in Boy Scouts, and he took his first airplane ride when he was six years old. He also started taking flying lessons when he was fourteen and got his pilot’s l...