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Ozone and Its Depletion

ozone depletion described

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Asanjan Brahmachari
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14 views30 pages

Ozone and Its Depletion

ozone depletion described

Uploaded by

Asanjan Brahmachari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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OZONE (O3) AND ITS DEPLETION

Dr. Surjya Kumar Saikia


Assistant Professor
Department of Zoology
Visva-Bharati
What is Ozone ?
➢ Light gas, blue colored
➢ strong smelling molecule
➢ Absorbs UV radiation (more in a moment…)
➢ Unstable: constantly breaks down with the help
of certain catalysts, reforms in stratosphere
➢ Also a primary constituent of photochemical
smog in the troposphere
Distribution of O3 in the Atmosphere
Ozone partial pressure (mPa)
0 5 10 15 20 25
50
Stratosphere
40

36

32

28 Ozone concentration curve “Ozone layer”


Altitude (km)

24

20

16

12 Troposphere

4 Pressure gradient

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Atmospheric Pressure (atm)
FORMATION OF O3 IN THE ATMOSPHERE
O
UV
O2 + radiation +

O +
O2 O3
O +
UV + O3
(ozone) O2

O +O3 (ozone) O2 + O2

+
O + O2 O3 (ozone)
heat
Role of O3 in the atmosphere

The ozone layer screens


out 99% of the harmful
radiation that enters the
upper atmosphere from
reaching the planet
surface.
Ozone absorption in the UV Band

➢ UV radiation includes wavelengths from 200 to 400 nm


▪ UV-A 320-400 nm
▪ UV-B 200-320 nm
▪ UV-C 200-290 nm
➢ UV-C
Nearly all UV-C is absorbed in the upper atmosphere
➢ UV-B
99% of UV-B is absorbed by the atmosphere, mostly by O3
➢ UV-A
Not strongly absorbed by the atmosphere
Dynamic Equilibrium
Creation of ozone

Breakdown of
ozone
RAPID GROWTH OF ANTHROPOGENIC
POPULATION AND INDUSTRIAL SOURCES DISTURBED
REVOLUTION EQUILIBRIUM

creation of
ozone

breakdown
of ozone

Image from Pixabay


Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Various CFCs contributes to Ozone Depletion

Data & figure from NOAA (http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/odgi/)


In 1928, scientists of DuPont- an American
Company developed CFCs as “ideal compounds”
for refrigerants and propellants
CFCs as Refrigerants
Traditional Refrigerants vs. CFCs
(e.g. ammonia, sulfur dioxide, methyl chloride)
- Non-flammable
- Highly volatile
- Non-toxic
- Caustic and toxic
- Trap heat (good
- Remove heat through insulators!)
vaporization of liquefied gas
(only adequate as refrigerants) - Inexpensive

- Expensive - Light

- Heavy (transport, storage) -Extremely stable,


inert
CFCs as Propellants
• Light weight
• Extremely stable or “inert”
SIDE EFFECT

• CFCs likely to migrate upwards

•Too light to precipitate out with rainfall


×

5-15 years to migrate to stratosphere


In 1973, Mario
Molina and F.
Sherry Rowland
start to investigate it.
They publish their
hypothesis in
Nature.

Mario J. Molina

James Lovelock The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1995


was awarded jointly to Paul J.
In 1972, James Lovelock Crutzen, Mario J. Molina and F.
Sherwood Rowland "for their work
speculates that CFCs put in atmospheric chemistry,
into the atmosphere may particularly concerning the
still be present formation and decomposition of
ozone.
What was their findings?

1974: Rowland and Molina


Cl
C

F
Cl
UV F
C
+ radiation
F Cl +
F
Cl- “free
radical”
Cl- “Free Radicals”…

+ +
Cl- O3 (ozone)
ClO O2
“free radical”

+ +
O
ClO Cl- O2
“free radical”
Intensive research revealed that ozone hole is anthropogenic and
DuPont’s discovery of CFC played the key role in ozone depletion

In 1988,UN hold meeting in Montreal, Canada where 45


(now 46) Nations sign to reduce CFC use by 50% by the year
POST MONTREAL PROTOCOL IMPACT
Impacts of Ozone Depletion
Human Health Ecological Health
• Skin cancer • Pathogen at local level
• Melanoma • Biodiversity at local level
• Cataracts • Aquatic organisms adversely
• Immune system function impacted
• Increased incidence, • Decreased biomass
severity and duration of productivity
infectious diseases • Polar systems especially
• Reduced efficacy of vulnerable
vaccinations
Impacts of Ozone Depletion
Economic
• Plastics
– designed with stabilizers to withstand UV radiation of
certain intensity
– replacement of key medical equipment and supplies,
decreased lifespan of plastics
• Manufacturing practices
• Agriculture
• Consumer costs and burdens
UV-C wavelengths are
the most harmful
Wavelength
Range Name Biological Effect
UVA once thought to be relatively
harmless, BUT causes
.32 to .4 m wrinkles, premature aging
(320-400 nm) and associated sun-related
skin damage; new research
indicates possible skin
cancer link
.29 to .32 m UVB harmful, causes sunburn,
(290-320 nm) skin cancer, and other
disorders
.20 to .29 m UVC extremely harmful, damages
(200 - 290 nm) (almost DNA -- but almost completely
completely
absorbed by O3) absorbed by ozone
p 75
THANK
YOU

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