The lower layer of the atmosphere that immediately surrounds the Earth is called the troposphere
Troposphere
The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. It contains approximately 75% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapour and aerosols. The average depth of the troposphere is approximately 17 km (11 mi) in the middle latitudes. It is deeper in the tropics, up to …
Is ozone good or bad?
Ozone is necessary and good, but only high in the atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Actually, it's both, depending on what altitude you find it at … Ninety percent of Earth's ozone is found in the stratosphere (the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, just above the one in which we dwell, the troposphere).
What are the dangers of ozone?
- An increase in small airway obstruction
- A decrease in the integrity of the airway epithelium
- An increase in nonspecific airway reactivity
- A decrease in phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages
What are the health effects of ozone?
Some of these effects include:
- Induction of respiratory symptoms
- Decrements in lung function
- Inflammation of airways
Is ozone harmful or not?
Whether in its pure form or mixed with other chemicals, ozone can be harmful to health. When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs. Relatively low amounts of ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and, throat irritation.
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What is ozone and why is it important?
The ozone layer acts as a shield for life on Earth. Ozone is good at trapping a type of radiation called ultraviolet radiation, or UV light, which can penetrate organisms' protective layers, like skin, damaging DNA molecules in plants and animals. There are two major types of UV light: UVB and UVA.
How does Stratospheric Ozone protect us?
The ozone layer in the stratosphere absorbs a portion of the radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching the planet's surface. Most importantly, it absorbs the portion of UV light called UVB. UVB is a kind of ultraviolet light from the sun (and sun lamps) that has several harmful effects.
What is necessary for stratospheric ozone?
Stratospheric ozone is formed naturally through the interaction of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation with molecular oxygen (O2).
Why is stratospheric ozone important quizlet?
Stratospheric ozone is important in the earth system because it absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun, protecting life on earth.
Why is ozone only in stratosphere?
Ninety percent of the ozone in the atmosphere sits in the stratosphere, the layer of atmosphere between about 10 and 50 kilometers altitude. The natural level of ozone in the stratosphere is a result of a balance between sunlight that creates ozone and chemical reactions that destroy it.
What would happen if the stratosphere disappeared?
Ozone forms in the mid-stratosphere. Without the ozone layer, the Earth's surface would be sterilized by UV radiation. The breakdown of the ozone layer increases skin cancer and cataracts in humans, impairs immune systems of all animals (including humans), and interferes with phytoplankton productivity in the oceans.
What is destroying stratospheric ozone?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other halogenated ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are mainly responsible for man-made chemical ozone depletion. The total amount of effective halogens (chlorine and bromine) in the stratosphere can be calculated and are known as the equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC).
Can we live without ozone layer?
Life couldn't exist without this protective ozone, which is also called the “ozone layer.” The sun gives off light, heat, and other types of radiation. Too much UV (ultraviolet) radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and harm plants and animals.
What would happen if we lost the ozone layer?
A diminished ozone layer allows more UV radiation to reach the Earth's surface. For people, overexposure to UV rays can lead to skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems. Increased UV can also lead to reduced crop yield and disruptions in the marine food chain.
Why must the ozone layer in the stratosphere be protected quizlet?
Ozone in the stratosphere filters ultraviolet light from the sun. - So ozone protects us from damaging solar radiation.
Why is ozone important to life on Earth quizlet?
The ozone layer is important for Earth's life forms because it protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. This made the environment able to support more complex life forms.
How does ozone in the stratosphere affect life on the Earth's surface quizlet?
In the stratosphere, ozone plays a beneficial role, protecting us from ultraviolet radiation. Naturally occurring ozone in the stratosphere protects life on Earth at a global scale. In the stratosphere, it occurs in much higher concentrations with the maximum stratospheric concentration at an altitude of about 25km.
How does ozone layer protect us from harmful effects in the environment?
By absorbing UV-B in the stratosphere, the ozone layer prevents harmful levels of this radiation from reaching Earth's surface.
Why is ozone good in the stratosphere and bad in the troposphere?
Stratospheric ozone is “good” because it protects living things from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ground-level ozone, the topic of this website, is “bad” because it can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children, the elderly, and people of all ages who have lung diseases such as asthma.
What protects us from the harmful rays of the sun?
The ozone layer protects us from potentially harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
What are three importance of ozone layer?
Why is Ozone Layer important? Ozone protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun. Without the Ozone layer in the atmosphere, life on Earth would be very difficult. Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet radiation, nor can the planktons that serve as food for most of the ocean life.
What is the stratosphere?
The stratosphere is the region of the atmosphere which exists between 10 and 50 kilometres above the surface of the earth. Solar wavelengths in the ultraviolet range (180-240 nanometers) are absorbed by and break apart oxygen molecules (which are made of two oxygen atoms).
Where is the highest concentration of ozone found?
From roughly 12 to 30 km, the two tendencies balance out, and the highest ozone concentrations are found there, in what is called the "ozone layer". This is why the ozone layer exists in the lower part of the stratosphere. The lower layer of the atmosphere ...
What happens when you go down in the atmosphere?
The lower down in the atmosphere you go, the more oxygen the ultraviolet has to pass through to get there, and the greater the chances are that it has already been absorbed to create ozone somewhere higher up. This means that very low down, the ozone concentrations tend to be lower.
How rare is ozone?
Ozone is comparatively rare in the atmosphere - there are only 3 molecules of ozone for every ten million air molecules. 90% of the planet's ozone is in the "ozone layer" which exists in the lower level (20-25 kilometres above sea level) of the stratosphere.
Which layer of the atmosphere is responsible for filtering the sun's ultraviolet radiation?
The lower layer of the atmosphere that immediately surrounds the Earth is called the troposphere. Stratospheric ozone is a naturally-occurring gas that filters the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is typically regarded as 'good' ozone since it reduces the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation.
What is the role of UV B in the atmosphere?
Absorption of UV-B by ozone in the stratosphere reduces the amount of UV-B reaching the earth's surface and also generates heat that plays a role in maintaining the temperature structure of the atmosphere.
Does ozone decrease as you go higher?
This means that ozone amounts tend to decrease as you go higher.
What Causes Ozone Layer Depletion?
When some chemical compounds generated by industries and human activities reach the stratosphere and get exposed to UV radiation they release chlorine and bromine.
What is an Ozone hole and How is an Ozone hole formed?
The ozone hole is the large region of the stratosphere over the Antarctic where the ozone layer is extremely low in amount.
What are UVA and UVB radiations? Which one is more harmful?
Ultraviolet or UV radiations are electromagnetic waves of wavelength shorter than visible light therefore invisible to our eyes.
How does ozone affect the atmosphere?
Depending on where it is in the atmosphere, ozone affects life on Earth in either good or bad ways. Stratospheric ozone is formed naturally through the interaction of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation with molecular oxygen (O2).
What is ozone and where is it in the atmosphere?
Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth's upper atmosphere
How does atmospheric ozone affect human health?
First, it absorbs UV light, reducing human exposure to harmful UV radiation that causes skin cancer and cataracts. Second, when inhaled, it reacts chemically with many biological molecules in the respiratory tract, leading to a number of adverse health effects . This course addresses this second property.
Where does ozone come from?
Although some stratospheric ozone is transported into the troposphere, and some VOC and NOx occur naturally, the majority of ground-level ozone is the result of reactions of man-made VOC and NOx. Significant sources of VOC are chemical plants, gasoline pumps, oil-based paints, autobody shops, and print shops. Nitrogen oxides result primarily from high temperature combustion. Significant sources are power plants, industrial furnaces and boilers, and motor vehicles.
When does ozone peak?
Where ozone is formed, peak concentrations usually occur during afternoon hours, when sunlight is the most intense. However, areas downwind of major sources of VOC and NOx may experience ozone peaks in the afternoon and evening, after wind has carried ozone and its VOC and NOx precursors many miles from their sources.
Where is tropospheric ozone found?
Ozone formation is not limited to big cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, and New York City. It is also formed in smaller cities like Raleigh, NC and Cincinnati, OH, ...
Does ozone increase in summer?
These reactions have traditionally been viewed as depending upon the presence of heat and sunlight, resulting in higher ambient ozone concentrations in summer months. Within the last decade, however, high ozone concentrations have also been observed under specific circumstances in cold months, where a few high elevation areas in the Western U.S.