Ozone layer definition of ozone layer by merriamwebster. This study was conducted at university of gujrat during 20142015 as a term paper for master of philosophy. When cfc is released into the atmosphere, they mix with atmospheric. The ozone depletion was analyzed by our top scientists in our research and development lab and we came to. The united states, along with over 180 other countries, recognized the threats posed by ozone depletion and in 1987 adopted a treaty called the montreal protocol to phase out the production and use of ozone depleting substances. Stratospheric ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation and.
Ozone layer definition, the layer of the upper atmosphere where most atmospheric ozone is concentrated, from about 8 to 30 miles 12 to 48 km above the earth, with the maximum ozone concentration occurring at an altitude of about 12 miles 19 km. In addition, increased surface uv leads to increased tropospheric ozone, which is a health risk to humans. The obtained data include the survey of the atmospheric ozone and its trends, including seasonal ozone depletion in the polar regions. The clcatalyzed ozone depletion can take place in the gas phase, but it is dramatically enhanced in the presence of polar stratospheric clouds pscs. Ozone depletion and the ozone hole have generated worldwide concern over increased cancer risks and other negative effects. Ozone layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layerby phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible forozone depletion. Ozone is unstable and decomposes to molecular oxygen. Title vi for stratospheric ozone protection, signed into law. Ozone layer depletion definition, causes, solutions toppr. Ozone depletion definition of ozone depletion by medical. This ozone loss occurs in the temperate zone latitudes in all seasons, and especially drastically since the early 1980s in the south polar springtimethe antarctic ozone hole. Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earths ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused due tho release of chemical compounds containing gaseous bromine or chlorine from industries or other human activities.
Find out what caused the ozone hole, and how the 1989 montreal protocol sought to put an end to ozone depletion. Ozone depletion definition and meaning collins english. It has been found that this protective ozone layer is getting depleted because of the presence of cfc chlorofluorocarbon compounds. A region of the atmosphere lying mostly in the stratosphere, between about 15 and 30 kilometers in altitude, containing a relatively high concentration. Stratospheric ozone depletion has further indirect health effects. The ozone layer helps to protect life from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of earth s stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun s ultraviolet radiation. The ozone depleting substances regulation and controlrules, 2000 2 no person shall produce or cause to produce ozone depleting substances specified as group i and group iii in column 4 of schedule i during the period from 1, august, st2000 to 1 january, 2010. Ozone is a colourless gas which is found in the stratosphere of our upper atmosphere.
Ozone layer depletion synonyms, ozone layer depletion pronunciation, ozone layer depletion translation, english dictionary definition of ozone layer depletion. Basic knowledge of ozone layer depletion definition. Ozone layer depletion is the thinning of the ozone layer present in the atmosphere. The term ozone depletion can refer to a number of distinct, but related phenomena. The ozone layer protects living things from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
The treaty is structured around several groups of halogenated hydrocarbonsthat deplete stratospheric. Ozone depletion simple english wikipedia, the free. It was agreed on 16 september 1987, and entered into force on 1 january 1989. Ozonedepleting substances ozone layer protection us epa. Depletion meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Ozone layer depletion cause, effects, and solutions.
Normal oxygen o2, which we breathe, has two oxygen atoms and is colorless and odorless. The chemical reactions causing this ozone depletion are primarily based on atomic cl and clo, the product of its reaction with ozone. Times, sunday times 2012 these clouds of ice form in the cold stratosphere of the polar regions in winter and have been linked to ozone depletion. Ozone depletion is the process of destruction of the ozone layer which can cause adverse effects on the living forms by many pollutants releases out from the vehicles, industries etc. What is the relationship between the greenhouse effect. Times, sunday times 2014 you couldnt have squeezed her through the hole in the ozone. These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Unlike pollution, which has many types and causes, ozone depletion has been pinned down to one major human activity.
Pdf causes of ozone layer depletion and its effects on. The depletion of ozone over the antarctic is also having an effect. Depletion is an accrual accounting technique used to allocate the cost of extracting natural resources such as timber, minerals and oil from the earth. This can have harmful effects upon human health, animal health, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, biochemical cycles and on. Since about the 1970s, there has been a decrease in total volume of the ozone in the ozone layer, of about 4%, per decade. The montreal protocol is an international agreement to address the causes of ozone depletion. It contains high concentration of ozone o 3 in relation to other parts of the atmosphere, although still small in. Ozone depletion occurs when the natural balance between the production and destruction of ozone in.
Ozone depletion definition ozone depletion is the term commonly used to describe the thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere. The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere, about 20 to 30 km 12 to 19 miles above the earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically. Global warming, the phenomenon of rising average air temperatures near earths surface over the past 100 to 200 years. Evidence that increased ozone loss occurs whenever icy polar clouds are present. Earths climate has changed over various timescales since the dawn of geologic time, and the force of human activities since the industrial revolution has been woven into the fabric of climate change. Ozone depletion is another thing that concerns him. Abstract there are many situations where human activities have significant effects on the environment. Industries that manufacture things like insulating foams, solvents, soaps, cooling things like air conditioners. Ozone depletion and climate change are linked in a number of ways, but ozone depletion is not a major cause of climate change. The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over antarctica.
Atmospheric ozone has two effects on the temperature balance of the earth. The ozone layer prevents most harmful uv wavelengths of ultraviolet light uv light from passing through the earths atmosphere. It absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation, which heats the stratosphere. Ozone depletion law and legal definition ozone depletion is the reduction of the protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere by chemical pollution. Ozone is a colourless gas which is a form of oxygen.
Ozone depletion would magnify all of the effects of uv on human health, both positive including production of vitamin d and negative including sunburn, skin cancer, and cataracts. Ozone depletion over india with so much worry about the rapid ozone depletion taking place in various parts of the earth, indian scientists are closely monitoring the ozone layer over india for possible depletion trends. Depletion definition, to decrease seriously or exhaust the abundance or supply of. A dynamic equilibrium is maintained between the formation and decomposition of ozone. The ozone hole and global warming are not the same thing, and neither is the main cause of the other. It is found that the ozone layer gets affected by some natural causes that are sunspots and stratospheric winds. Ozone depletion, or ozone layer depletion is the name for the observed decrease in the atmospheres ozone layer. The ozone hole is an area in the stratosphere above antarctica where chlorine and bromine gases from humanproduced chlorofluorocarbons cfcs. However, these cause a very nominal contribution to the ozone layer depletion which is near about 1 to 2 percent and therefore these. If reactions on ice particles in these clouds really are to blame, then wed expect to see ozone depletion in the arctic as well although less severe than in antarctica, since the clouds are less common around the north pole. This timeline highlights the average area of the ozone hole between september 7th and october th as observed by nasa spacedbased instruments see colored bars and scale. Ozone is a gas that occurs both in the earths upper atmosphere the stratosphere and at ground level. Ozone is a natural gas composed of three atoms of oxygen.
Ozone layer definition is an atmospheric layer at heights of about 20 to 30 miles 32 to 48 kilometers that is normally characterized by high ozone content which blocks most solar ultraviolet radiation from entry into the lower atmosphere. Ozone depletion describes two distinct but related phenomena observed since the late 1970s. Ozone layer depletion is one of the most serious problems faced by our planet earth. Causes of ozone layer depletion and its effects on human. Destruction of the upper atmospheric layer of ozone gas, caused by substances formed from breakdown of ozone depleting substances. In the stratosphere, small amounts of ozone are constantly being made by the action of sunlight on oxygen. The layer of ozone gas is what which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet radiations of the sun. This happens when the chlorine and bromine atoms in the atmosphere come in contact with ozone and destroy the ozone molecules. Ozone depletion, gradual thinning of earths ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. Depletion definition of depletion by the free dictionary.
The ongoing reduction of ozone in the stratosphere. It is also one of the prime reasons which are leading to global warming. Ozone layer depletion is simply the wearing out reduction of the amount of ozone in the stratosphere. Ozone depletion has been observed all over the globe but is greatest at high latitudes that is, near the poles, most notably over antarctica during the polar winter see ozone hole. Ozone o3 is present in 1 ppm in the upper stratosphere, and it absorbs virtually all of the uv radiation from the sun. Ozone depletion, gradual thinning of earth s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. Ozone layer depletion causes, effects and solutions 7.
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