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Effects of global warming on the planet
Effects of global warming on the planet
The effects of global warming
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In this document I will explain how the ozone hole is formed and the effects that it has on the environment, what global warming is and how it is caused, and the ways, if any, in which these two phenomena are linked together. Both the ozone hole and global warming have an effect on the environment. They have been a cause for concern amongst researchers as these effects appear to be harmful to most aspects of life. Ways to reverse these phenomena and prevent their further development are being actively researched.
The ozone layer is situated in the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere. It is important to the on-going stability of life on Earth as it prevents harmful UV-B radiation from reaching the troposphere (i.e. the layer of atmosphere that we live in). Were this radiation to reach us in large quantities, it could mutate the DNA in our cells and have fatal results. It is thanks to the ozone layer that this doesn’t happen, but a hole has formed in the ozone layer over Antarctica which could affect us severely. The ozone hole is a great loss of ozone molecules in the stratosphere above Antarctica. During winter, wind vortexes form around Antarctica and temperatures drop to below -78oC which result in ice, nitric acid and sulphuric acid clouds. Reactions of chlorofluorocarbon molecules using these clouds as a reaction surface result in active forms of halogens from the chlorofluorocarbons being stored. The ozone hole forms as spring arrives along with warmer temperatures and the active halogens are released and act as catalysts to eliminate the ozone molecules. Ozone levels can drop to around 50% during this time. In the following months, the ozone hole is able to repair itself, but this is a slow process.i
Chlorofluorocarbon m...
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...e hole and tropospheric ozone are not linked and do not have an impact on each other, so is not a link between the ozone hole and global warming.
CFCs and phytoplankton exposed to UV radiation are both links between the ozone hole and global warming, but overall there aren’t many significant links between the two. Neither have a great impact on the other, but they both do have significant impacts on the environment, and they are potentially detrimental to our future survival on this planet. They are both heavy topics of research and scientists are trying to find ways to reverse the phenomena caused by our own negligence in the use of CFCs and fossil fuels. Neither of these phenomena are to be taken lightly; evidence shows they both have consequences if they continue to get worse, so we need to find a solution if we want to stop serious future changes to the climate.
The initial step in photochemical reactions is the absorption of a photon by an atom, molecule, free radical or ion. The result of this absorption is strongly dependent on the energy, in other word the wavelength of the photon. Visible and ultraviolet portion of the light is required to start the photochemical reactions. The absorption can generate dissociation, internal rearrangement, flourescence, or excited species. Photochemical smog can occur in any environment where there are large and continuous emissions of primary air pollutants. However specifics of climate and geography play an important role in the persistence and severity of the photochemical smog. Two factors influencing the formation of photochemical smog:
Roan, Sharon. Ozone Crisis: The Fifteen Year Evolution of a Sudden Global Emergency. New York: Wiley, 1989.
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.
In summary, ozone is a multi-dimensional gas with its many influences on humanity and life in general. Some of its effects are considered essential while others are highly undesirable. Human-directed changes in the abundance of ozone, i.e., lower amounts in the upper atmosphere and higher amounts in the lower atmosphere, have created more problems for us and other organisms on the planet. There are clearly things that humans can and are doing that can alleviate these problems. Perhaps ozone can now begin to be understood for the vital (yet dangerous) resource that it is.
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.
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.
Thus CFCs became used all over the world and its business got bigger and bigger until late in 1973. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, two distinguished chemists, came up with a surprising result in his calculations concerning the CFCs and ozone layer. CFCs are basically inactive in the troposphere(around the altitude of 50,000 feet) so it would gradually drift upward until they reached the mid-stratosphere.(about 100,000 feet) At this point CFCs would be broken down by short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This radiation is the one which would not reach the lower atmosphere in large amounts because of the ozone layer. When these CFCs do brake down, they released atomic chlorine which then would react with the ozone and convert it back into plain oxygen. The even worse part of all this is that these chlorine molecules do not become inactive after the first reaction with the ozone and would be available to destroy more ozone molecules. Thus this process would be the function of a catalyst; a single chlorine atom involved in a chain reaction to destroy many ozone molecules.
...long as air pollution keeps increasing the prevalence of greenhouse gases, climate change and global warming will also increase.
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?
The most destructive human contribution to climate change is fossil fuels combustion, which results in the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and halocarbons levels in the atmosphere cause an imbalance in the earth’s energy. This is because the gases alter solar radiation and thermal radiation which regulate the earth’s energy. Research indicates that anthropogenic climate change is the cause of the increased global warming over the last fifty years. 57 % of the carbon dioxide emitted is absorbed into the atmosphere while the rest is absorbed into the oceans. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the most central greenhouse gas that is associated with global warming (Eby, Zickfield, Montenegro, Archer, Meissner, & Weaver,
Ozone is a gas in our atmosphere that is naturally present. Ozone has the chemical formula of O3 because an ozone molecule is triatomic, meaning that the molecule contains three oxygen atoms. The oxygen that organisms use to breathe is made up of two oxygen atoms, commonly called diatomic and represented by O2. As a single atom, oxygen is very unstable since it is a highly reactive, nonmetal element. According to Weingroff (n.d.), this is why oxygen is almost always found in its diatomic form, where it is a lot more stable. Since ozone can be found in different locations of the atmosphere, it depends on its location if ozone is considered to be harmful for
"China Plans to Regulate Some of Its Carbon Emissions for the First Time Ever." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
As we approach the future we are faced with many global problems. Most of these problems arise because we have caused them ourselves. We need to face these problems and find a solution. Global warming, although most often overlooked in importance, is a crucial problem of the future directly related to human activities. Global warming is caused by gases humans release into the atmosphere called anthropogenic gases and by deforestation. Anthropogenic gases include carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofl...
Global warming is an increase in the earth's temperature due to fossil fuels, industry, and agricultural processes caused by human, natural, and other gas emissions. This results in an increased evacuation of greenhouse gases. “Short-wave solar radiation sinks into the Earth's atmosphere and warms its surface while long-wave infrared radiation emitted by earth's surface is absorbed, and then re-emitted by trace gases.” (2)
Global warming is one of the most serious issues that the human species face today, yet the majority of the population does not pay attention to it. People are not aware of the dangers and do not care about it much because the main effects will affect the next generation and not themselves. Global warming is happening and it is the reason for changing weather and weather extremes such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires. Global warming is caused by societies lifestyle and these lifestyles destroy the environment and affect the whole world. The use of cars, trains, planes, as well as wasting energy for people’s entertainment has a price; this price is that society is in danger.