Ozone layer depletion

Environment- a place with numerous living organisms, which consists of a variety of gases. These gases are somewhere useful for the environment while some are harmful too.

Keywords: Environment, global warming, greenhouse gases, ozone, CFC, ozone depletion, stratosphere, troposphere, UV rays

The major issue our environment is currently facing is Global warming. Global warming is referred to as an increase in the overall temperature of the earth. It is primarily caused by the emission of excessive carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere.

Ozone(O3) depletion is a reduction in the ozone layer. UV rays are very harmful to humans. They cannot be seen, but they are very powerful. The ozone layer protects our earth from these harmful UV rays. Ozone layer depletion occurs due to the emission of Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) and halons in the atmosphere.

Ozone is found in two variants in the atmosphere:

1. Ground-level ozone:

                  It is also known as "bad" ozone. This type of ozone is a component of smog. It is present in the lower atmosphere i.e. troposphere.

2. High-level ozone:

It is also known as "good" ozone. It is present in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere. This layer is responsible for the prevention of harmful UV rays hitting the earth. 

The depletion of the ozone layer is referred to as an ' ozone hole '. It was discovered by scientists in the 1980s that the ozone layer in the lower stratosphere was decreasing. Thus they termed it an ' ozone hole '.

 Due to the ozone hole, all living organisms are harmed by solar radiation. It also leads to various health problems starting from skin diseases to eye problems.

According to scientists, the main reason behind the thinning of the ozone layer was due to the chemicals such as CFCs and also halons to some extent.

At the poles, CFCs are present in the ice particles in clouds. As the sun rises in the polar spring, the ice particles melt thereby releasing the CFC. After releasing these molecules break the molecular bonds in UV radiation and absorb ozone.

An increase in pollution and burning activities of fossil fuels has led to greater emission of greenhouse gases. These gases increase the temperature in the lower atmosphere(troposphere) thereby generating a cooler environment in the upper atmosphere(stratosphere).

The greenhouse gases warm the surface at lower altitudes whereas they prevent heat at higher altitudes. Thus, the cooler environment in the stratosphere results in ozone depletion.

The depletion of the ozone layer can be well understood with the blanket analogy. The greenhouse gases spread in our environment as a blanket. They prevent the moving of heat from the lower atmosphere to the upper. This blanket keeps on becoming thicker. It keeps on trapping more heat in the lower atmosphere.