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Depletion of ozone layer essay
The effects of Ozone Depletion essay
The effects of Ozone Depletion essay
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Depletion of the Ozone Layer
The atmospheric ozone layer protects all living things from the harmful effects of the Sun. In recent years however, much damage has been caused to the ozone layer, causing it to decrease in size. The depletion of the ozone layer has and will continue to have many detrimental effects on all living things on this planet. A thinner layer will allow more of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface. In particular, it will be the increase of UV-B rays which will have the most negative side effects. It will effect humans, plants, the Earth’s water and every other living creature. Studies have shown that for every five percent reduction in the concentration of ozone, the rate of skin cancer will rise by ten percent, due to increased exposure to the Sun’s ultraviolet rays (Environment Canada). Increased amounts of ultraviolet radiation increase the incidence of eye cataracts, which are patches of light blocking tissue which can lead to blindness (Ehrlich 120). It will also affect plants, which are sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. High levels will cause reduced stem and leaf growth in plants because photosynthetic activity is reduced or damaged. It also causes lower dry weight and affects plants’ ability to take in and use water (Ehrlich 120). This in turn reduces agricultural production and the food available to animals. Greater exposure to ultraviolet rays also affects the DNA of organisms. The radiation has the ability to reach the DNA and alter its structure. This can impair the organisms immune system, cause stunted growth, as well as increase the risk of cancer (Dolan 260). As well, micro-organisms in the soil which produce nutrients, can die from over-exposure to ultraviolet rays, resulting in soil infertility.
The Ozone Layer
The ozone layer shields the Earth and its inhabitants from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. It absorbs or blocks out 95% of high frequency ultraviolet radiation. The layer is comprised of a molecule called ozone, an electrically charged form of oxygen that is produced when sunlight reacts with chemicals in the air. The ozone molecules have the ability to filter the radiation, allowing only a small fraction of it to pass through (Gribbon 56). The layer is found in the Earth’s stratosphere, with its peak concentration about twenty-five kilometres above the Earth’s surface.
The ozone layer is the one that protects living things from the pure ultraviolet rays of the sun.
As the twenty-first century progresses, it has become increasingly apparent just how many challenges the world faces. Prominent among these concerns are environmental issues, in particular, ozone depletion and climate change. While the international community has been exceptionally successful in its struggle to reduce the production and consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the organic compounds that contribute to the ozone issue, its efforts to tackle climate change have yielded considerably fewer advancements. A number of factors that helped the proceedings of the ozone regime, or campaign, are not applicable to the climate change regime. The issue of limiting CFCs was much less politically and economically charged than that of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs), which cause the greenhouse effect and the consequent warming of the planet. Climate change has been referred to as the ultimate “tragedy of the commons”, an important metaphor in economics that helps explain why this subject is still at the centre of much heated debate and has yet to be resolved in a manner similar to that of the ozone problem.
Ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation is a type of ultraviolet (means ‘beyond violet’) radiation that forms a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Its primary natural source is the sun, but could also be emitted by artificial sources such as UVB lights, excimer lasers and fluorescents. Most UVB produced by sunlight is absorbed by oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere and forms the ozone layer of lower stratosphere. When the amount of ozone in the ozone layer is reduced, more UVB radiation reaches the surface of earth and can cause damaging effects to human health such as skin and eye, nevertheless UVB could also beneficial in some ways when it comes to produce vitamin D and used in medical devices.
"Ultraviolet Radiation: How It Affects Life on Earth : Feature Articles." Ultraviolet Radiation: How It Affects Life on Earth : Feature Articles. Version 1.0. NASA Earth Observatory, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
Stratospheric ozone absorbs 97-99% of ultraviolet radiation. As this protective layer continues to dissentigrate, human health will suffer. One American dies every hour from skin cancer, a direct result of ozone depletion by anthropogenic chemicals, primarily CFCs, which damage the ozone layer. Alternate chemicals are now being used in the place of CFCs that will not damage statospheric ozone, and there is international recognition of the importance of developing these chemicals. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty which limits the production of ozone depleting substances. Still, human health is at risk from the deletion of ozone, and the risk factor will continue to rise unless people and industries become more aware of the implications connected with everyday use of chemicals which destroy stratospheric ozone.
Pollution is a massive problem, due to burning excessive amounts of fossil fuels and produces global warming. The rising in temperature of earth has resulted huge melting of polar ice caps, flooding of low-lying areas, and also rise in sea levels. If these conditions conquer the surface of earth it will face radical changes. Hence, the ozone holes are also being created trough this process, that creates a harmful UV rays that enters the earth surface. Apparently it affect human life trough causing diseases like cancer. Melanin that present in the skin reacts trough these high wave radiations. Skin cancer is one of the major forms of disease that known to be caused due to these reactions of the pigment present in the skin and infra-red rays. Besides that, when burnt sulphur, dioxide gas will also be produced. This factor forms acid rain. Acid rain could leads to destructions of most of monuments that were made up of brickwork or marbles. Even a lot of crops are affected due to the acidification of loams.
This article states that the ozone hole is diminishing. The credit for this good news is the phasing out of the ozone-depleting chemicals sponsored by the Montreal Protocol (Ozone hole diminishing, Nov). According to this article, the hole reached a peak of 25 million square kilometers, coming down from 28 in previous years since 1998 up to 2006. The article emphasizes the fact that ozone-depleting gases are still being used. The article continues by stating that according to the World Meteorological Organization, the planet will come back to pre-ozone hole conditions between 2060 and 2075 (Ozone hole diminishing, Nov).
A thin layer of gas called atmosphere surrounds the Earth. The atmosphere serves two important purposes: it is a filter for the suns dangerous ultraviolet radiation rays and keeps the heat, necessary to maintain life on earth, within the stratosphere (Vorlat 361). Ultraviolet light is incredibly dangerous to all the organisms within the Earth's ecosystem because it causes skin cancer, effects the immune system, and harms plant and animal life. For that reason the atmosphere and the ozone layer within it are crucial to a stable life on this planet. The ozone layer is in danger, however. It is facing depletion by a toxic man-made substance called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Together the international community is working through treaties and conventions to stop this environmental problem.
When these chemicals are released in the atmosphere during the heat transfer process, the ultraviolet rays break its molecules releasing chlorine atoms which attach to the upper ozone protective layer destroying it. The net result is that more U.V rays reaching the earth s surface with the resultant bad effect both on health and environment. The health hazards include increased percentage of people affected by cataracts and skin cancer. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the degradation of the ozone layer will cause 12 million people to develop skin cancer within the next 50 years. Significantly, more than 200,000 of those cases will be fatal. Also, ozone depletion will result in compromised the human immune system. On the other hand, agriculture and animal and plant life will be
Earth is surrounded by an invisible shield that is 6.2 miles long; furthermore, it absorbs most ultraviolet rays that the sun casts down to the biosphere. Without this shield, also known as the ozone layer, all life on Earth would cease to exist because of the harsh rays the sun emits. An example of how the ozone protects species is when a person goes out into the sun without sunblock, they get a grisly sunburn. Therefore, the ozone layer is the sunblock for the Earth, without it all organisms will be brutally charred. Moreover, the ozone layer is depleting gradually if not rapidly because of the effects of humankind. Although many people
Air pollution and greenhouse gases are the reason for the planet as it is today; the reason why we see campaigns flooding the media informing us to ‘switch off’, ‘save the planet’ and ‘turn down the heat’ and the reason why the government is trying to develop a successful scheme, such as the carbon tax scheme, to reduce air pollution caused by major industries. Air pollution and greenhouse gases are the two immediate causes of global warming and climate change. Air pollution occurs when chemicals or particulate matter enter the atmosphere. They can cause damage to living organisms on the planet, as well as destruction to the natural and synthetic environment (Energy Environment.net 2008). Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that absorb infrared radiation emitted from the earth. They trap infrared radiation in the form of heat, and hence contribute to global warming. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases are a direct result of air pollution. They are the physical gases emitted that cause air pollution. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases also have an influence on the earth’s atmosphere, though it is not as conspicuous as anthropogenic causes. Together, air pollution and greenhouse gases are intensifying climate change and global warming on a world-wide basis.
Chlorofluorocarbons [CFCs], commonly known as Freon, are a type of organic compounds that are made up of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine atoms. Their significant properties include low volatility of approximately 0℃, together with being tasteless, odourless, non-flammable, nontoxic, and chemically stable. They have supported the society for years through the form of a refrigerant, a solvent and a propellant. Moreover, they have contributed to the industrialization of nations, especially during the 1950s, as a material to manufacture aerosol sprays, and as a blowing agent for foam and packing materials. Ironically, in addition to being a useful compound in many instances, it was found that CFCs have been a leading cause of global warming and the annihilation of species. In 1985, Joe Farman and colleagues discovered and named the destruction of the ozone layer as “the Antarctic ozone hole”. The ozone layer is part of the ozone rich stratosphere – a layer of the earth’s atmosphere that sits approximately 20m above the earth. The main function is to protect the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays [UV rays] emitted from the sun. Thus, the discovery of a hole in the ozone layer was a serious environmental issue. Through investigation, it was found that one of the major factors of the ozone layer deterioration was the production of CFCs. When CFCs reach the atmosphere, they react with UV rays, and turns into substance including chlorine. The chlorine takes place a chemical reaction with the oxygen in ozone, destroying the ozone molecules (See figure 1). According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a single chlorine atom in the ozone layer can abolish 1,000 zone molecules. In the following essay, the effect of the CFCs on the ozone...
The ozone layer diminishes more each year. As the area of polar ozone depletion (commonly called the ozone hole) gets larger, additional ultraviolet rays are allowed to pass through. These rays cause cancer, cataracts, and lowered immunity to diseases.1 What causes the depletion of the ozone layer?
To create accurate models, scientists must account for all of the factors affecting ozone creation and destruction, and conduct simultaneous, global studies over the course of many years. EPA 2000 - EPA - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 - EPA 2000 Conclusion The ozone layer must continue to be protected and we, as individuals, need to take the right steps into preserving our atmosphere and environment by finding new ways to prevent the ongoing destruction that has been done to it. If everyone does his or her part to help, no matter how big or small, we can ensure that this problem is solved.
The Atmosphere consist of four layers and they are Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere. Troposphere is the lowest atmospheric layer. The temperature ranges from 10°C to -42°C closer to the top of the Troposphere (McConnell, D., Steer, D., Knight, C., & Owens, K., 2010, P. #384). The Troposphere is important to us because it contains three-quarters of all the air in the atmosphere (McConnell, D., Steer, D., Knight, C., & Owens, K., 2010, P. #384). Also in this atmosphere part contains water, which we depend on for everyday use. The Stratosphere contains the ultraviolet radiation which protects us from getting the full force of the ultraviolet radiation. “Ozone keeps harmful UV rays from reaching Earth’s surface, but it did not form until oxygen became an abundant gas in the atmosphere.” (McConnell, D., Steer, D., Knight, C., & Owens, K., 2010, P. #384). The Mesosphere protects the Earth from NEOs. “While oxygen and nitrogen molecules are rarer at these altitudes, sufficient gas is still present to heat up incoming space debris to form meteors.” (McConnell, D., Steer, D., Knight, C., & Owens, K., 2010, P. #385) The Thermosphere this layer protects us from the X-rays, gamma rays, and short-wavelength radiation come to the Earth and affects us (McConnell, D., Steer, D., Knight, C., & Owens, K., 2010, P. #385). We fit into earth’s spheres by