We may hear about it a lot, and mainly how we're slowly destroying it, but just what is the ozone layer?
The ozone layer is essentially Mother Earth's safety net. residing some 50 kilometres above the planet's surface. created from O3 or ozone gas,it is up to 20 kilometres thick and 90 per cent of this gas can be found up on the Earth's stratosphere.
This protective gas is vital to the nurturing of life on our planet,and here's why.
Ozone gases act as a shield against ultraviolet,or UVB, radiation. These harmful emissions are sent through the Sun's rays,and without the ozone would severely affect the planet's ecological balance, damaging bio-diversity.UVB rays reduce plankton levels in the ocean,subsequently diminishing fish stock.Plant growth would also diminish in turn disrupting agricultural productivity. This would in turn affect the human populace,who would be exposed to an increase in skin-related diseases such as cancer.
So how does the ozone protect us? Ozone molecules consist of three oxygen atoms, hence the chemical formula O3.Stratospheric ozone absorbs UVB high-energy radiation,as well as energetic electrons, which in turn splits the O3 in to an 0 atom and an O2 molecule. When the 0 atom soon encounters another O2 molecule they re-merge and recreate O3.This means that the ozone layer absorbs the UVB without being consumed.The ozone layer absorbs up to 99 per cent of the Sun's high frequency UV light rays, transforming this in to heat after its combustible atomic reaction,therefore creating the stratosphere itself.This effectively incubates life on Earth.
But ozone doesn't reside only in the world above.
This gas is also present in the layer around the Earth's surface.Ten to 18 km above us, this is known as the tropospheric ozone or 'bad ozone',comparative to the function of the stratosphere.
This ozone occurs naturally in small doses, initiating the removal of hydrocarbons,released by plants and soil,or appearing from small amounts of stratospheric ozone,which occasionally migrate down to the Earth's surface.
However,it gets a bad reputation due to its interaction of ultraviolet light, with volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides,emitted by fossil-fuel powered machines and internal combustion engines. The produces high levels of ozone which are formed in high temperature conditions, ultimately toxic to all forms of organic life.
The ozone layer is essentially Mother Earth's safety net. residing some 50 kilometres above the planet's surface. created from O3 or ozone gas,it is up to 20 kilometres thick and 90 per cent of this gas can be found up on the Earth's stratosphere.
This protective gas is vital to the nurturing of life on our planet,and here's why.
Ozone gases act as a shield against ultraviolet,or UVB, radiation. These harmful emissions are sent through the Sun's rays,and without the ozone would severely affect the planet's ecological balance, damaging bio-diversity.UVB rays reduce plankton levels in the ocean,subsequently diminishing fish stock.Plant growth would also diminish in turn disrupting agricultural productivity. This would in turn affect the human populace,who would be exposed to an increase in skin-related diseases such as cancer.
So how does the ozone protect us? Ozone molecules consist of three oxygen atoms, hence the chemical formula O3.Stratospheric ozone absorbs UVB high-energy radiation,as well as energetic electrons, which in turn splits the O3 in to an 0 atom and an O2 molecule. When the 0 atom soon encounters another O2 molecule they re-merge and recreate O3.This means that the ozone layer absorbs the UVB without being consumed.The ozone layer absorbs up to 99 per cent of the Sun's high frequency UV light rays, transforming this in to heat after its combustible atomic reaction,therefore creating the stratosphere itself.This effectively incubates life on Earth.
But ozone doesn't reside only in the world above.
This gas is also present in the layer around the Earth's surface.Ten to 18 km above us, this is known as the tropospheric ozone or 'bad ozone',comparative to the function of the stratosphere.
This ozone occurs naturally in small doses, initiating the removal of hydrocarbons,released by plants and soil,or appearing from small amounts of stratospheric ozone,which occasionally migrate down to the Earth's surface.
However,it gets a bad reputation due to its interaction of ultraviolet light, with volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides,emitted by fossil-fuel powered machines and internal combustion engines. The produces high levels of ozone which are formed in high temperature conditions, ultimately toxic to all forms of organic life.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire