The Ozone Layer

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Recommended: Negative impacts of ozone depletion

Over the years scientists have discovered the main function of the ozone layer. They have found that the ozone layer naturally shields the Earth from ultraviolet radiation that in large amounts can be harmful. When organisms are exposed to large amounts of ultraviolet radiation, the exposure can lead to DNA mutations that can cause damage to the organism and even skin cancer in humans (NOAA News). Even though the stratospheric ozone absorbs most forms of ultraviolet radiation, about half of UV-a radiation can get through, and this radiation is the type that causes sunburn, skin cancer, and eye damage (Ozone Watch). The graph below shows how most ultraviolet radiation is absorbed in the stratosphere, but about half of the UV-a radiation is able to reach Earth’s surface (Ozone Watch). During the past century different human activities have caused the effectiveness of the ozone layer to decrease. The release of chlorofluorocarbons by different daily activities has been proven to cause a decrease in the thickness of the ozone layer especially over the poles (WUnder). Because of these reduced ozone levels, an increased amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation has been able to reach Earth’s surface (Ozone Watch). With this increase of ultraviolet radiation that has been reaching Earth’s surface over the past few decades, scientists have noticed that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of malignant skin cancer cases. In fact, scientists estimate that for every 1% decrease in ozone levels, there will be a 2-3% increase in the number of people who will suffer from certain skin cancers (Beyond Discovery). Another problem that has arisen in the past century has been the complex link between global warming and the ozone hole... ... middle of paper ... ... Properties and Behavior." General chemistry: atoms first / John E. McMurry, Cornell University, Robert C. Fay, Cornell University.. Second ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. 343-344. Print. "NOAA, NASA: Antarctic ozone hole second smallest in 20 years." NOAA, NASA: Antarctic ozone hole second smallest in 20 years. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. . "Ozone hole shrinks to record low." MNN. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. . Toon, Owen, and Richard Turco. "Polar Stratospheric Clouds and Ozone Depletion." Scientific American June 1991: n. pag. Toon_Turco91_ozone. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. "What is Ozone?." Ozone Hole Watch: Facts about ozone. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

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