Gourt > Kids and Teens > School Time > Science > Environment > Ozone Layer
The ozone layer, or ozonosphere layer (rarely used term), is that part of the Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). "Relatively high" means a few parts per million - much higher than the concentrations in the lower atmosphere but still small compared to the main components of the atmosphere. The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. Its properties were explored in detail by the British meteorologist G. M. B. Dobson, who developed a simple spectrophotometer that could be used to measure stratospheric ozone from the ground. Between 1928 and 1958 Dobson established a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations which continues to operate today. The "Dobson unit", a convenient measure of the total amount of ozone in a column overhead, is named in his honor.
Origin of ozone
The photochemical mechanisms that give rise to the ozone layer were worked out by the British physicist Sidney Chapman in 1930. Ozone in the earth's stratosphere is created by ultraviolet light striking oxygen molecules containing two oxygen atoms (O2), splitting them into individual oxygen atoms (atomic oxygen); the atomic oxygen then combines with unbroken O2 to create ozone, O3. The ozone molecule is also unstable (although, in the stratosphere, long-lived) and when ultraviolet light hits ozone it splits into a molecule of O2 and an atom of atomic oxygen, a continuing process called the ozone-oxygen cycle, thus creating an ozone layer in the stratosphere. Tropospheric ozone has two sources: about 10 % is transported down from the stratosphere while the remainder is created in situ in smaller amounts through different mechanisms.
More on [ Ozone layer ]
The South Pole is in trouble with the massive hole in the Ozone layer. An impact to one Pole will effect the other Pole. Loss of oxygen???
1niceguy1104 (Kasey Kerry) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:36:55 -0000
The South Pole is in trouble with the massive hole in the Ozone layer. An impact to one Pole will effect the other Pole. Loss of oxygen???
The new species will be called the taranculasaurus rex, half tarancula half tyrannasaurus rex. His one task will be to fix the ozone layer.
nitz_122 (Robert Puopolo) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:55:49 -0000
The new species will be called the taranculasaurus rex, half tarancula half tyrannasaurus rex. His one task will be to fix the ozone layer.
@KeniaMenia haha if the ozone layer breaks were all gonna die! :{(
reubs_16 (reuben saldivar) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 02:09:55 -0000
@KeniaMenia haha if the ozone layer breaks were all gonna die! :{(
RT @rockstarima: Standing in my back yard emptying every aerosol can I have and praying for a hole in the ozone layer right above my house.
schwaggy (Chris Case) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:11:53 -0000
RT @rockstarima: Standing in my back yard emptying every aerosol can I have and praying for a hole in the ozone layer right above my house.
Standing in my back yard emptying every aerosol can I have and praying for a hole in the ozone layer right above my house.
rockstarima (Meredith) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:10:50 -0000
Standing in my back yard emptying every aerosol can I have and praying for a hole in the ozone layer right above my house.
@schoonerhelm Montreal Conference banned a bunch of the causes so we are on track to heal the hole in the ozone layer
Canageek (Danforth Inferno) Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:37:35 -0000
@schoonerhelm Montreal Conference banned a bunch of the causes so we are on track to heal the hole in the ozone layer
Air Info Now: What is Ozone? - Describes the chemical makeup of ozone, the good ozone does when it is high, and the bad health effects it has when close to the surface.
All About Ozone - Looks at the ozone layer, depletion, and has frequently asked questions about ozone.
Atmosphere, Climate and Environment: Ozone Hole - What is ozone, why there is a hole, and what's causing it.
Meta Description: [ Information on global warming, climate change, air pollution, acid rain, ozone depletion and sustainable development ]
EPA SunWise for Kids: Ozone Layer - Tells why we need ozone in the stratosphere to live, how CFC's destroy ozone, and what you can do about it.
ESA Kids: Losing the Ozone Layer - Explains why we need the ozone layer, and has a picture of the ozone hole viewed from space.
Meta Description: [ Have you ever suffered from sunburn? This burning of the skin is caused by ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun. Serious burning is not only painful, but it may cause skin cancer. ]
Hole in the Ozone Layer? - Learn how it all started, how to fix the problem and what the future outlook is.
Meta Description: [ Learn how it all started, how to fix the problem and what the future outlook is--cancer. ]
Ozone - A detailed look at ozone in the atmosphere, the difference between bad and good ozone, and how it's being depleted.
Ozone Guarding our Earth - Learn how ozone in the stratosphere makes living on the Earth possible.
Ozone News - Several articles about ozone and its effects on humans.
The Ozone Hole Tour - An overview of the ozone layer and the development of the ozone hole over the Antarctic.
Meta Description: [ The Ozone Hole Tour is a multimedia educational journey of discovery.
Find out about the history of the discovery of the hole, the science behind it and what scientists
are doing to understand it. ]
The Ozone Layer - Answers several frequently asked questions about the ozone layer.
The Ozone Layer: What's Going On Up There? - Explains how the ozone layer is being depleted, and what you can do about it.
What is Depletion of the Ozone Layer? - Tells how ozone is broken apart by the Sun's powerful rays, and by human-made chemicals.
Meta Description: [ FAQ Kids! ]
Wikipedia: Ozone Depletion - Looks at the ozone cycle, causes of ozone depletion, and a history of research about the ozone hole.
Wikipedia: Ozone Layer - Encyclopedia article that explains what the ozone layer is, and why we need it.
| Return of the Ozone Layer: Are We There Yet? | |
| Next Video | |
