Ozone Layer Depletion
Scientists found a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, which turn their attention toward the environmental issues and the steps that should be taken to alleviate them. This hole is called ozone layer depletion. Chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons all contribute to the ozone depletion.
What is Ozone Layer Depletion?
Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the production of chemical compounds containing gaseous bromine or chlorine as a result of industry or other human activities.
Chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and methyl chloroform are examples of ozone-depleting chlorine compounds. Bromine-containing ozone-depleting chemicals include halons, methyl bromide, and hydro bromofluorocarbons. Chlorofluorocarbons are the most frequent ozone-damaging chemicals. The chlorine atom does not react with ozone when it joins another molecule.
The Montreal Protocol was developed in 1987 as a way to protect the earth’s ozone layer by prohibiting the use, manufacturing, and import of ozone-depleting substances, as well as reducing their concentration in the atmosphere.
Ozone Layer – Causes, Effects & Depletion
Ozone Layer: Oxygen is a member of the chalcogen group of the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal that quickly forms oxides with most elements and other compounds. After hydrogen and helium, oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth and the universe’s third most common element. Diatomic oxygen gas makes up 20.95 % of the Earth’s atmosphere nowadays.
Ozone is too reactive at sea level to last long in the atmosphere. At a height of around 20 kilometers, it is created from air oxygen in the presence of sunshine. The ozone layer shields the surface of the world from UV radiation. It’s a diamagnetic, unstable gas with a pungent odor that protects the Earth from dangerous ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Ozone is a potent oxidant with a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. However, ozone damages mucous and respiratory tissues in mammals, as well as plant tissues, due to its strong oxidizing potential. While this makes ozone a serious respiratory hazard and pollutant near the ground, a higher ozone layer concentration is advantageous because it prevents harmful UV rays from reaching the Earth’s surface.
Table of Content
- What is Ozone Layer?
- Properties of Ozone
- Uses of Ozone
- Ozone Layer Depletion
- Cause of Ozone Layer Depletion
- Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)