BY, SINTO PAUL S4 EEE ROLL NO.

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION OZONE LAYER DEPLETION OZONE HOLE REASONS CONSEQUENCES REFERENCE

 The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O3). This layer absorbs 97-99% of the sun's high frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on earth. Located in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 15 km to 35 km above Earth's surface. Discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. World Ozone Day-September 16

INTRODUCTION

OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

Ozone depletion describes two distinct, but related observations: a slow, steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of ozone in Earth's stratosphere since the late 1970s; and a much larger, but seasonal, decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earth's polar regions during the same period. The latter phenomenon is commonly referred to as the ozone hole.

REASONS
CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons Halons, Methyl chloroform, Methyl bromide, Carbon tetrachloride

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride and several other chemicals are ozone-depleting substances. When CFCs and halons are released into the atmosphere, they rise slowly, taking up to seven years to reach the stratosphere. But once they are there, under the influence of the sun's ultraviolet light, chlorine is released and react with ozone, with a depletion of the ozone layer as a consequence.

 This allows harmful solar UV radiation to pass through to the earth's surface. Because it takes so long for the CFCs and halons to reach the stratosphere, any reduction in their use on earth does not have an immediate effect on the concentration in the stratosphere. Some of the ozone depleting substances are persistent, remaining active in the atmosphere for up to 50 years.

Image of the largest Antarctic ozone hole ever recorded (September 2006).

CONSEQUENCES
Increased UV Impact on the oceans Effects on Crops Global warming Damage to materials Impact on land plants

Increased UV
Ozone, while a minority constituent in the earth's atmosphere, is responsible for most of the absorption of UVB radiation. The amount of UVB radiation that penetrates through the ozone layer decreases exponentially with the slant-path thickness/density of the layer. Correspondingly, a decrease in atmospheric ozone is expected to give rise to significantly increased levels of UVB near the surface.

 Increases in surface UVB due to the ozone hole can be partially inferred by radiative transfer model calculations, but cannot be calculated from direct measurements because of the lack of reliable historical (pre-ozone-hole) surface UV data, although more recent surface UV observation measurement programmes exist Because it is this same UV radiation that creates ozone in the ozone layer from O2 (regular oxygen) in the first place, a reduction in stratospheric ozone would actually tend to increase photochemical production of ozone at lower levels (in the troposphere), although the overall observed trends in total column ozone still show a decrease, largely because ozone produced lower down has a naturally shorter photochemical lifetime, so it is destroyed before the concentrations could reach a level which would compensate for the ozone reduction higher up.

Impact on the oceans

Increasing amounts of UV radiation will have an impact on plankton and other tiny organisms at the base of the marine food web. These organisms provide the original food source for all other living organisms in the oceans. Plankton- phytoplankton as well as zooplankton are highly sensitive to UV radiation, as they lack the protective UV-B-absorbing layers that higher forms of plants and animals have. (Phyto = plant. Zoo = animal). More UV-B radiation reduces the amount of food phytoplankton create through photosynthesis. Zooplankton, feeding off the phytoplankton, are also affected.

Effects on Crops
An increase of UV radiation would be expected to affect crops. A number of economically important species of plants, such as rice, depend on cyanobacteria residing on their roots for the retention of nitrogen. Cyanobacteria are sensitive to UV light and they would be affected by its increase

Global warming
Ozone-layer depletion seems likely to increase the rate of greenhouse warming, by reducing the effectiveness of the carbon dioxide sink in the oceans. Phytoplankton in the oceans assimilates large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Increased UV radiation will reduce phytoplankton activity significantly. This means that large amounts of carbon dioxide will remain in the atmosphere. A 10 percent decrease in carbon dioxide uptake by the oceans would leave about the same amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as is produced by fossil fuel burning.

Damage to materials
UV-radiation causes many materials to degrade more rapidly. Plastic materials used outdoors will have much shorter lifetimes with small increases of UV radiation. PVC sidings, window and door frames, pipes, gutters, etc. used in buildings degrade faster

Impact on land plants

A high increase in UV radiation may disrupt many ecosystems on land. Rice production may be drastically reduced by the effects of UV-B on the nitrogen assimilating activities of micro-organisms. With a diminishing ozone layer, it is likely that the supply of natural nitrogen to ecosystems, such as tropical rice paddies, will be significantly reduced. Most plants (and trees) grow more slowly and become smaller and more stunted as adult plants when exposed to large amounts of UV-B. Increased UV-B inhibits pollen germination.

REFERENCE
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion www.eco-action.org/dt/ozone.html esl.jrc.it/envind/pf_intro/pf_int06.htm www.ciesin.org/TG/OZ/cfcozn.html