FAQS
Q.1. How is ozone formed?
Ans: The ozone layer is a result of ultraviolet rays striking oxygen molecules. When
this happens, the two atoms of oxygen are split, combining with unbroken molecules
of oxygen to form ozone.
Q.2. Why can't we live without an ozone layer?
Ans: The ozone layer is essential in preventing the Sun's harmful ultraviolet light from
affecting the Earth. The ozone layer acts like an umbrella blocking out harmful
radiations. The ozone layer is so effective that it absorbs 93-99% of this radiation. This
radiation is toxic to humans. An excessive amount of ultraviolet B rays is known to
cause skin cancer and cataracts in both humans and animals. Ozone depletion can
also affect the growth of essential food crops like rice. The effects of UV rays also
affect phytoplankton in the sea.
Q.3. How is the ozone layer disappearing?
Ans: Certain chemicals called free radical catalysts cause the ozone layer to
disappear. These substances are called ozone-depleting substances. Examples of
such catalysts are nitrous oxide (the most considerable ozone-depleting substance),
atomic bromine, hydroxyl and atomic chlorine. These are potent chemicals. Just one
atom of chlorine can destroy over a thousand molecules of ozone.
Q.4. Why is CFCs bad?
Ans: These chemicals are widely used because of their stable, non-flammable and
non-toxic nature. In 1974 scientists discovered that CFCs do not dissolve in the rain,
and there is no natural process that can remove the compounds of CFC from the
environment. Due to exposure to intense UV radiation, CFC releases atomic chlorine,
which depletes the ozone layer.
Q.5. Where is ozone found?
Ans: About 90% of ozone is concentrated between 15-30 km above the Earth's
surface.
Q.6. Why is ozone important?
Ans: Ozone is the central absorber of UV-B that has shown harmful effects on plants
animals and humans in sunlight absorbing approx. 90% of it
Q.6. What is a Dobson Unit?
Ans: Ozone is measured in Dobson Units (DU). 100 DU is equivalent to a 1mm thick
layer of pure ozone at sea-level temperature and pressure.
Q.7. What is the ozone hole?
Ans: The commonly accepted definition of the ozone hole in the region above
Antarctica where the ozone level is below 220 DU.
Q.8. When does the ozone hole occur?
Ans: The ozone hole starts to appear in September and breaks up in December.
Q.9. What is ultraviolet (UV) radiation?
Ans: Ultraviolet radiation is the process by which shorter wavelength electromagnetic
(radiant) energy is transferred from one place to another, but typically from the Sun
through the Earth's atmosphere to the Earth's surface; less typically from a tanning
bed lamp to a person's skin. Radiant energy (measured in joules) or irradiance (the
radiant power measured in watts), is classified according to wavelength measured in
nanometres (one nm is a millionth of a millimetre). There are three categories of UV:
UV-A, between 320 and 400 nm
UV-B, between 280 and 320 nm
UV-C, between 200 and 280 nm
Q.9. What is UV-B?
Ans: UV-B refers to UV light having a wavelength between 280 and 320 nm. These
wavelengths are on the lower edge of ozone's UV absorption band, in the so-called
"Huggins bands". They are absorbed by ozone, but less efficiently than shorter
wavelengths Depletion of the ozone layer would first result in increased UV-B.
Q.10. Is ozone depletion the same as the greenhouse effect, global warming or
climate change?
Ans: Ozone depletion and changes to climate due to the increased concentration of
well-mixed greenhouse gases produced by human activity are essentially separate
issues, in the sense that either one would still occur in the absence of the other.
However, they do interact with each other in numerous ways. Ozone is itself a
greenhouse gas, and there is evidence that stratospheric ozone depletion has
impacted tropospheric weather patterns.
Q.11. What is Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP)?
Ans: An index comparing the amount of global ozone destroyed by a particular ozone-
depleting substance per unit mass compared to the amount eliminated by a reference
gas (CFC-11) per unit mass.
Q.12. What are the Ozone-depleting substances (ODS)?
Ans: Substances known to deplete the stratospheric ozone layer includes CFCs,
halons, HCFCs, and other halocarbons. The Montreal Protocol regulates most ODSs,
though some with very short lifetimes (e.g., CHBr3) or small anthropogenic sources
(e.g., CH3Cl) are not.