What is the Ozone Layer?
The ozone layer is a layer in the Earth’s atmosphere that contains a relatively high concentration of ozone (O3). Also referred to as “stratospheric ozone layer” and “ozonoshpere”, the ozone layer protects life on Earth from (potentially) harmful ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun.
The ozone layer is located between 10 to 50 kilometers above the Earth, although the highest concentration of ozone can be found at an altitude of around 20 to 25 kilometers.
Although ozone can be found at ground level, more than 90 percent of the Earth’s ozone is located in the ozone layer.
At the stratosphere level, ozone is good. It prevents between 97 and 99% of the sun’s high frequency ultraviolet light from reaching Earth.
At ground level, ozone can be dangerous to plants and animals (including humans). It can cause respiratory problems, skin problems, immune system problems, and more.
How is the Ozone Layer Created?
Ozone is created naturally by the action of ultraviolet light on oxygen. Put simply, atomic oxygen (O) is combined with molecular oxygen (O2) to form ozone.
Here’s a more detailed description, as displayed on the Nasa website:
When high-energy ultraviolet rays strike molecules of ordinary oxygen (O2), they split the molecule into two single oxygen atoms, known as atomic oxygen (O). A freed oxygen atom then can combine with an oxygen molecule to form a molecule of ozone (O3)
And, for even more detail on how ozone is created, check out this article on ozone creation by the “theozonehole.com” website.
The Ozone Hole
Each year, during the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere’s spring, a hole develops in the ozone layer directly above the Antarctic. Well, it’s not quite a “hole”, but it is a large region of substantially depleted ozone. We call this the ozone hole.
Because it contains a much lower concentration of ozone, the ozone hole allows more ultraviolet light to get through to Earth. This is not good, because as mentioned, too much ozone can cause problems (and even death) for us here on Earth.
This threat is so great that, international efforts are underway to restore the ozone layer.
Tags: antarctic, atmosphere, ozone hole, ozone layer, ultraviolet light
