The Importance of the Ozone “Like an infection that grows more and more virulent, the continent-size hole in Earth’s ozone layer keeps getting bigger and bigger”(Beyond Discovery). The ozone is a protective layer that occurs naturally in the stratosphere, 6 to 28 miles in altitude. Each year, since the late 1970’s, much of the ozone layer above Antarctica has disappeared, creating what is popularly known as the “ozone hole.” This hole now measures about 9 million square miles, nearly the size of North America. Less dramatic, but still significant, depletion of ozone levels has been recorded around the globe. With less ozone in the atmosphere, more ultraviolet radiation strikes Earth, causing more skin cancer, eye damage, and possible harm to crops. The main causes of ozone depletion are chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), such as coolants, aerosols, and fire extinguishers. When CFC’s are released, they rise into the ozone layer. The UV (ultraviolet) radiation then releases chlorine from the CFC’s. Chlorine is a chemical that disintegrates the ozone. Other everyday items that contribute Cottrell 2 to the devastation of the ozone include household refrigerants and exhaust fumes emitted from automobiles. Without the ozone layer the health of every single living being on planet Earth would be jeopardized. Ozone depletion leads to an increased exposure to ultraviolet light, which can cause many health problems. Exposure to ultraviolet light greatly increases the risks of skin cancer and cataract development. Skin cancers are very treatable in their early stages but very deadly in the advanced stages. Cataracts are growths in the eyes that cloud vision and can lead to blindness. Increased UV exposure also causes decreased growth of phytoplankton. This is the light-sensitive organism that not only forms the base of the ocean’s food web, but also is responsible for removing much of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Last, a thinning ozone layer would produce lower crop yields. Some crops, such as rice, are sensitive to ultraviolet light. Increased UV exposure could make these crops less productive or even kill them. Much of the world relies on rice as a primary source of food. The people who need it most are destroying the ozone layer. This problem can be traced back to the overwhelming increase in the world’s population. With more people on the planet, there will be use of more automobiles, CFC’s, and refrigerants. In turn, an increase in these products will yield an increase in air pollution.
Roan, Sharon. Ozone Crisis: The Fifteen Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency. New York: Wiley, 1989.
During this period, all over the world is facing with one of the biggest problem, the Global Warming. Global Warming makes average level of Earth’s temperature increasing this is causing by two main phenomena; increasing of greenhouse gases levels all over the world and ozone depletion in the atmosphere. Greenhouse effect made up by several groups of gases that we know as greenhouse gases. In general, the levels of these gases were controlled by nature, so the level of the greenhouse gas was constant and in the appropriate amount but because of human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, intensive agriculture and over global population take role and disturb the nature activity. They were increasing the level of greenhouse gases around the world. Ozone depletion is when the layer of ozone becoming thinner and thinner by some type of gases such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs). So that mean greenhouse effect and ozone depletion related to each other by be the main cause that make Global warming happen.
In summary, ozone is a multi-dimensional gas with its many influences on humanity and life in general. Some of its effects are considered essential while others are highly undesirable. Human-directed changes in the abundance of ozone, i.e., lower amounts in the upper atmosphere and higher amounts in the lower atmosphere, have created more problems for us and other organisms on the planet. There are clearly things that humans can and are doing that can alleviate these problems. Perhaps ozone can now begin to be understood for the vital (yet dangerous) resource that it is.
Stratospheric ozone absorbs 97-99% of ultraviolet radiation. As this protective layer continues to dissentigrate, human health will suffer. One American dies every hour from skin cancer, a direct result of ozone depletion by anthropogenic chemicals, primarily CFCs, which damage the ozone layer. Alternate chemicals are now being used in the place of CFCs that will not damage statospheric ozone, and there is international recognition of the importance of developing these chemicals. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty which limits the production of ozone depleting substances. Still, human health is at risk from the deletion of ozone, and the risk factor will continue to rise unless people and industries become more aware of the implications connected with everyday use of chemicals which destroy stratospheric ozone.
The ozone layer is the one that protects living things from the pure ultraviolet rays of the sun.
This article states that the ozone hole is diminishing. The credit for this good news is the phasing out of the ozone-depleting chemicals sponsored by the Montreal Protocol (Ozone hole diminishing, Nov). According to this article, the hole reached a peak of 25 million square kilometers, coming down from 28 in previous years since 1998 up to 2006. The article emphasizes the fact that ozone-depleting gases are still being used. The article continues by stating that according to the World Meteorological Organization, the planet will come back to pre-ozone hole conditions between 2060 and 2075 (Ozone hole diminishing, Nov).
The depletion of the ozone layer has been a trending topic after it was first discovered in 1970. The ozone layer is a portion of the earth’s stratosphere which absorbs most of the sun’s UV rays hence preventing cancer and other fatal illness to the skin. It contains high concentrations of O3 and at a constant rate is being broken down and. Since 1970, it has been discovered that about 4% of the ozone layer wears off every decade and is as a result of day-to-day human activity.
Along with being aware about air pollution, we should also be aware about ozone concentrations and fossil fuel burning. The public should be concerned with ozone concentrations because they are constantly increasing. Ozone levels are increasing because of the heat and pollution. The public should be informed on how to reduce pollution and heat. Some steps the public can take to reduce pollution are to use public transportation and electric vehicles, conserve energy and recycle. Moreover, planting more plants will reduce heat and decrease ozone levels. Ozone is considered “bad” when found in the lower troposphere because it leads to many health effects in humans. Breathing ozone can cause bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Therefore, humans should stay indoors in the afternoon during the summer months. “Bad” Ozone also damages our crops and forests, affecting our food chain and the economy. Ozone is considered “good” in the Stratosphere because it protects us from dangerous ultraviolet rays released by the sun. Ozone in the Stratospheres protects us from conditions such as skin cancer and cataracts. Furthermore, ozone in the atmosphere protects our crops, thus playing
To understand the problem behind ozone depletion we first must understand what ozone is and how it works. Ozone is a thin protective layer that starts nine miles up in the air and continues up in the sky thirty-one miles (Kellner 20). It serves as a screen against the sun’s harmful UV rays by protecting plants and animals, as well as people from skin cancer, immune system problems, and eye disorders, such as cataracts (Ozone Treaties). Ozone is a gas, often a bluish color, made up of three oxygen atoms instead of the typical two. Ozone forms when solar ultraviolet rays and oxygen molecules meet. The result of the meeting is free oxygen molecules that form to regular oxygen molecules to create ozone molecules. Thus the process repeats (Vorlat 361). So in essence the sun’s rays are destroying oxygen molecules to create the ozone that is going to serve as a filter for the planet...
Human induced climate change resulting from an enhanced greenhouse effect is probably the greatest environmental threat facing the world today. Specifically, the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide may be classified as the primary culprit. As a result of greenhouse gases entering the upper levels of the earth's atmosphere, it diminishes or breaks down the earth's Ozone layer. With this loss of this protective blanket, harmful radioactive rays from the sun enter the deeper into the earth's atmosphere. This creates a rise in the overall temperature of our planet, along with alterations in the global environment, ecosystems and way of life for the habitants of earth.
15.2) The accumulation of chlorofluorocarbons is responsible for depleting the atmospheric zone. The atmospheric zone has changed in concentration due to human activity. The CFCs release chlorine atoms which react with ozone reducing it to molecular O₂. Following chemical reactions release the chlorine which reacts with other ozone molecules in a catalytic chain reaction. The ozone layer is getting thinner and thinner as stable air at places such as Antarctica allows reaction to continue. The accumulation of CFCs has led to increased UV radiation in sunlight reaching the earth thereby decreasing ozone levels. The global temperature has increased.
As the twenty-first century progresses, it has become increasingly apparent just how many challenges the world faces. Prominent among these concerns are environmental issues, in particular, ozone depletion and climate change. While the international community has been exceptionally successful in its struggle to reduce the production and consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the organic compounds that contribute to the ozone issue, its efforts to tackle climate change have yielded considerably fewer advancements. A number of factors that helped the proceedings of the ozone regime, or campaign, are not applicable to the climate change regime. The issue of limiting CFCs was much less politically and economically charged than that of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), which cause the greenhouse effect and the consequent warming of the planet. Climate change has been referred to as the ultimate “tragedy of the commons”, an important metaphor in economics that helps explain why this subject is still at the centre of much heated debate and has yet to be resolved in a manner similar to that of the ozone problem.
Ozone depletion directly affects society and the environment through increased exposure to UV radiation on humans, animals, plants and materials.
The Greenhouse effect and ozone depletion are two of the most prevalent environmental issues faced globally today. Greenhouse gases have the ability to absorb infrared radiation from the sun. Global warming refers to an increase in average global temperature due to natural and anthropogenic causes. Ozone depletion describes an observed decline of 4% ozone per decade in the total volume of the Earth’s stratosphere and seasonal ozone depletion events. Ozone levels within the stratosphere are normalizing due to the Montreal protocol but the concentration of greenhouses gases within the atmosphere are escalating and we could see the melting of permafrost in Siberia and Alaska which contains vast quantities of methane which could lead to “irreversible environmental change”
...rbon dioxide, hazardous chemicals, and other pollutants, which can put a hole in the ozone. Also, the usage of some mineral resources can also pollute the air; burning any kind of fuel fossils releases dangerous elements into the air, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. All of these kinds of pollution which are caused by the increase of technology, can lead to global environmental problems.