Ozone Layer Depletion

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INTRODUCTION In the beginning man lived simply and harmoniously with earth. However, as time progressed mankind's thirst for knowledge and more economical ways of doing things led to technological advances. These advances, in turn, led to the industrial revolution, the invention of the automobile, and growth of the automobile industry. Though making life on earth more comfortable, these industries and inventions emitted harmful gases into the earth's atmosphere. Damage to the earth's ozone layer began to occur as the levels of these gases in the atmosphere increased. The depletion of the earth's ozone and the resulting greenhouse effect are now threatening the ability of earth to sustain civilization as mankind knows it today. THE OZONE DEFINED Ozone is a dark blue gas which is highly reactive. It's triatomic molecular composition (O3 ) is unlike normal oxygen as it has an extra oxygen atom in each molecule and a different atomic arrangement.(Jones et al.303-304) In the earth's upper atmosphere, called the stratosphere, O3 is produced when the sun's ultraviolet rays act on normal oxygen in the air. Extending from 10 kilometers (km) to 50 km above the earth, the stratosphere has the highest concentration of ozone.(EPA, Ozone vs. Altitude 1) This is what is normally known as the "ozone layer". The ozone layer serves a vital purpose in the stratosphere as it blocks out harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone also occurs in lower amounts in the troposphere, which is the atmospheric layer lying between the earth's surface and the stratosphere. Known at this altitude as smog, this ozone forms when the sun's ultraviolet rays strike oxygen which has mixed with industrial or automobile pollutants.(EPA, Ozone Science 1) THREATS TO THE OZONE Man-made chemicals, fossil fuels, industrial wastes, and automobile exhaust all pose a threat to the earth's ozone. Chlorofluorocarbons

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