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.
[1] Over 90% of ozone in earth's atmosphere is present here.
[1] "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. It is mainly located in the lower portion of the
stratosphere from approximately 15 km to 35 km above Earth's surface, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically.
[2] 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.
Ten percent of the ozone in the atmosphere is contained in the
troposphere, the lowest part of our atmosphere where all of our weather takes place.
Tropospheric ozone has two sources: about 10 % is transported down from the
stratosphere while the remainder is created in smaller amounts through different mechanisms.
Ozone depletionThe ozone layer can be depleted by free radical catalysts, including
nitric oxide (NO),
hydroxyl (OH), atomic
chlorine (Cl), and atomic
bromine (Br). While there are natural sources for all of these species, the concentrations of chlorine and bromine have increased markedly in recent years due to the release of large quantities of manmade
organohalogen compounds, especially
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and
bromofluorocarbons.[
citation needed] These highly stable compounds are capable of surviving the rise to the
stratosphere, where Cl and Br
radicals are liberated by the action of ultraviolet light. Each radical is then free to initiate and catalyze a chain reaction capable of breaking down over 100,000 ozone molecules. Ozone levels, over the
northern hemisphere, have been dropping by 4% per decade. Over approximately 5% of the Earth's surface, around the north and south poles, much larger (but seasonal) declines have been seen; these are the
ozone holes.