0% found this document useful (0 votes)
81 views19 pages

The Ozone Layer: By: Kai Ling Liang 5°

The document summarizes the ozone layer, its discovery and depletion over Antarctica and the Arctic. It describes the process by which CFCs released from human activities damage the ozone layer by releasing chlorine atoms when broken down by UV rays. This thinning of the ozone layer allows more harmful UV rays to pass through, risking damage to human health, plants, marine life and the climate. International agreements like the Montreal Protocol have led to bans on CFCs and signs that the ozone layer is recovering, though full recovery may take until 2050.

Uploaded by

kllovespurple
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
81 views19 pages

The Ozone Layer: By: Kai Ling Liang 5°

The document summarizes the ozone layer, its discovery and depletion over Antarctica and the Arctic. It describes the process by which CFCs released from human activities damage the ozone layer by releasing chlorine atoms when broken down by UV rays. This thinning of the ozone layer allows more harmful UV rays to pass through, risking damage to human health, plants, marine life and the climate. International agreements like the Montreal Protocol have led to bans on CFCs and signs that the ozone layer is recovering, though full recovery may take until 2050.

Uploaded by

kllovespurple
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 19

The Ozone Layer

By: Kai Ling Liang 5°


The Ozone Layer
The ozone layer, rests
15 to 50 km above
Earth’s surface &
protects us against the
sun’s harmful UV
radiation.
Discovery
Beginning in the 1970s, scientists theorized about ozone
depletion. In 1985, scientists Joseph Farman, Brian
Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin discovered a gap in the
ozone layer over Antarctica via satellite. Then a similar
hole appeared over the Arctic.
What is the Ozone Hole?
Take a look at this
picture taken of the
ozone layer over
Antarctica.

The purple shows the


area where the ozone
is the thinnest, and
red the thickest.

*photo credits of NASA


The Ozone Watch
The largest ozone hole ever Most recent ozone hole
detected.
Dated September 24, 2006 Dated October 10, 2010

*photos credits of NASA


Causes
The hole in the ozone layer is mainly caused by mankind.
However, there are also natural sources that caused the depletion.
Volcanoes and oceans generate gases generates chlorine, the
primary cause of ozone depletion, into the atmosphere. The
Chlorine released from natural sources is not enough to have a
big impact in the ozone.
Chlorofluorocarbons
The man-made gas that is damaging the ozone layer called
chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs are widely used in
propellants, aerosol cans, coolant in refrigerators, and
plastic foams.

When CFCs rise to the stratosphere, UV rays breaks it


apart. The chemical reaction breaks down the ozone
molecules into oxygen, leaving no protection against the
UV rays.
Here is a picture of the process
The Process
When UV waves strike CFC (CFCCL3) molecules in the atmosphere, a carbon-
chlorine bond breaks, producing a chlorine (Cl) atom. The chlorine atom then
reacts with an ozone (O3) molecule breaking it apart and destroying the ozone.
This forms an ordinary oxygen molecule(O2) and a chlorine monoxide (ClO)
molecule. Then another oxygen atom breaks up the chlorine monoxide. The
chlorine is free to repeat the process of destroying more ozone molecules. A
single CFC molecule can destroy 100,000 ozone molecules.

CFCl3 + UV Light ==> CFCl2 + Cl


Cl + O3 ==> ClO + O2
ClO + O ==> Cl + O2

The free chlorine atom is then free to attack another ozone molecule

Cl + O3 ==> ClO + O2
ClO + O ==> Cl + O2
Effects
When a minor part of the
ozone layer is destroyed, it
can cause some major effects
on not just humans but also
our ecosystem and
environment.
Human Health
Exposure to too much ultraviolet light is one of the main
causes of skin cancer. 1% decrease in the zone layer can
cause a 2-3% increase in the incidence of skin cancer.
When exposing your eyes to the UV rays you can get eye
cataracts.
Plants & Marine Ecosystems
Huge numbers of microscopic algae called phytoplankton
are dying. Many animals that eat the plankton will die
out. Aquatic animals like shrimp, crabs and fish will also
be affected.

The life cycles of plants will change, disrupting the food


chain, and affecting other organisms that consumes the
plant. Crops production and quality will reduce.
Climate Change
The stratosphere cools when ozone is destroyed because
there is less ozone to absorb UV radiation. This cooling
affects air motions and chemical processes that are related
to climate change. In addition, some ozone-depleting
gases and the ozone become greenhouse gases.
Protecting Our Ozone
Humans can’t make more
ozone and it is
impossible for us to
remove the CFC from the
atmosphere since it stays
there for years. However,
we can still manage to
reverse the ozone
depletion and the ozone
layer will gradually
recover.
Banning CFCs
In 1978, spraying cans were banned in the U.S.

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was signed to reduce the


amount of CFCs produced world
wide.

Today, over 190 countries banned CFCs and the ozone


layer depletion has slowed down significantly.
Our Contributions
1. Plant trees- it increases the amount of oxygen in the
atmosphere.

2. Use CFC Free products-for body or insect spray.

3. Buy refrigerators & other household products that does not


use CFC gases.

4. Reduce amount of heating, cooling, electric loads, and


overall energy usage.
Recovery

Since the Montreal Protocol was


established, the depletion of the
ozone layer has reduced
significantly. Scientists predict
that the ozone hole will fully
recover by year 2050.
Conclusion
It may seem to take a long time until the ozone hole is
entirely sealed and there might be a few delays along the
way, but if we help out the very little we can and prevent
chlorine from entering the atmosphere the ozone layer will
recover to its condition before.
Sources
Miller, Kenneth R. and Joseph S. Levine. Biology. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2006. Print.

Dunbar, Jill. :Ozone Depletion, History and Politics”. NAS. 30 May 2001. NASA, Web.
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone/History.html

Handwerk, Brian.“ Whatever Happened to the Ozone?”.National Geographic News. 5 May 2010. National Geographic.
Web.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100505-science-environment-ozone-hole-25-years

Master, Jeffery. “Frequent Questions Asked About the Ozone”. Weather underground, Inc. n.p. Web.
http://www.wunderground.com/education/holefaq.asp

Welch, Charles. “The Ozone Hole”. The Ozone Hole, Inc. n.p. Web.
http://www.theozonehole.com

“Global Warming and Ozone Depletion”. IHS. 2010. Web.


http://www.ess-home.com/news/global-warming/ozone-depletion.asp

“Natural Causes of Ozone Depletion”. Cool Down Global Warming. 2009. Web
http://www.cooldownglobalwarming,com/global-warming/ozone-depletion/Natural-Causes-Of-Ozone-Depletion.html

“Ozone Depletion-Effects”. Oracles ThinkQuest. n.p. Oracle. Web.


http://library.thinkquest.org/26026/Environmental_Problems/ozone_depletion_-_effects.html

“The Science of the Ozone Hole”. The Ozone Tour. n.p. University of Cambridge. Web.
http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/part3.html

Ozone Layer Protection. n.p. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 19 Aug 2010. Web.
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy