Importance of the Ozone layer Whenever you hear terms like UV rays or greenhouse gases the next thing that comes in your mind is the ozone layer.
The Ozone layer plays a very vital role in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is divided into several layers like troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The Ozone layer is located 20-30 kilometer above the earth’s surface mainly in the lower portion of the stratosphere. Before going into the details of the significance of ozone layer there are some important facts that you should know about it:
What is Ozone Layer?
The formation of ozone layer is by a photochemical reaction where the ozone (O3) created by the ultraviolet rays present in the atmosphere strike the oxygen molecule and split them into atomic oxygen which then combines with molecular O2 to form ozone. The ozone molecule is unstable and also there is a continuous cycle that goes on leading to the formation of the ozone layer. The concentration of ozone in the ozone layer is very less but it is very important for human life on earth.
Importance of Ozone layer
The ozone layer is majorly present in the two layers of the atmosphere. The first 10% of the ozone is present in the troposphere and the rest 90% is present in the stratosphere. The sunray that touches earth’s surface contains various radiations including the UV rays which are harmful to the human body. The ozone layer absorbs the harmful UV radiations and prevents it to reach the earth’s surface. Apart from that the ozone layer present in the lower atmosphere also absorbs different pollutants from the air.
Without an ozone layer it is almost impossible to survive, as in the absence of the ozone layer one might suffer from various diseases like skin cancer, eye disorders etc. The harmful UV rays will also destroy the crops and ocean life. A recent research showed that a town in Australia which lost 97% of ozone layer suffered a tragic loss, as many people of the town suffered from skin diseases.
Deletion of Ozone Layer
The pollution and greenhouse gases are the main cause for the depletion of the Ozone layer. The free radicals like nitric oxide (NO), Nitrous oxide (N2O), atomic Cl, atomic Br and chlorofluorocarbons are the main pollutants which cause the depletion of the Ozone layer. The recent report depicted that in recent years already 5% of ozone has been depleted from both north and south poles creating ozone holes.
