Which atmosphere is the ozone in

As suggested by many experiments on plants and animals and clinical research on humans, an increased exposure to UV-B radiation has its damaging effects.

Tropospheric ozone, on the contrary, is a so-called secondary pollutant , a photo oxidant which is formed by the interaction of solar radiation with primary polluting precursors. Tropospheric ozone is a poisonous substance that harms humans, animals and plants. It results from complex chemical reactions , with a substantial role for the following players:. That may seem like a lot, but it is only 0. The peak concentration of ozone occurs at an altitude of roughly 32 kilometers 20 miles above the surface of the Earth.

At that altitude, ozone concentration can be as high as 15 parts per million 0. The concentration of ozone varies with altitude. Peak concentrations, an average of 8 molecules of ozone per million molecules in the atmosphere, occur between an altitude of 30 and 35 kilometers. Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Ozone screens all of the most energetic, UV-c, radiation, and most of the UV-b radiation. Ozone only screens about half of the UV-a radiation.

How thin? Well, imagine a basketball with one layer of aluminum foil around it. The aluminum foil represents the average thickness of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is divided into regions defined primarily by temperature. The height and temperature of these layers can vary from season to season. Weather occurs in this layer. The next layer up is called the stratosphere. In the stratosphere, temperature increases with altitude.

This is because of ozone. When the ozone in this layer absorbs UV light from the sun, it increases in temperature. In the mesosphere , ozone concentration decreases. This means there is less absorption of UV light in this layer of atmosphere. Ozone molecules, which are simply made of three joined oxygen atoms, are always being destroyed and reformed naturally.

The ozone layer, which only makes up 0. This is inaccurate. Ozone layer damage is more like a really thin patch than a hole. The ozone layer is thinnest near the pole s. In the s, people all over the world started realizing that the ozone layer was getting thinner and that this was a bad thing. Many government s and businesses agreed that some chemicals, like aerosol can s, should be outlaw ed.

There are fewer aerosol cans produced today. The ozone layer has slowly recovered as people, businesses, and governments work to control such pollution. Million to One Compared to other gases in the atmosphere, ozone is pretty rare.

According to NOAA, there are only about three molecules of ozone for every ten million molecules of air. When released through a small opening, the liquid becomes a spray or foam. Some CFCs have destructive effects on the ozone layer. Gas molecules are in constant, random motion. Ultraviolet is often shortened to UV. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society.