The Ozone Layer

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. Over
90% of ozone in earth's atmosphere is present here "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.

A dobson unit is the most basic measure used in ozone research.One Dobson
Unit (DU) is defined to be 0.01 mm thickness at STP (standard temperature and
pressure). Ozone layer thickness is expressed in terms of Dobson units, which
measure what its physical thickness would be if compressed in the Earth's
atmosphere. In those terms, it's very thin indeed. A normal range is 300 to 500
Dobson units, which translates to an eighth of an inch-basically two stacked
pennies.

In space, it's best not to envision the ozone layer as a distinct, measurable band.
Instead, think of it in terms of parts per million concentrations in the stratosphere
(the layer six to 30 miles above the Earth's surface).

The unit is named after G.M.B. Dobson, one of the first scientists to investigate
atmospheric ozone .

A thinning ozone layer leads to a number of serious health risks for humans. It
causes greater incidences of skin cancer and cataract of the eye, with children
being particularly vulnerable. There are also serious impacts for biodiversity.
Increased UV-B rays reduce levels of plankton in the oceans and subsequently
diminish fish stocks. It can also have adverse effects on plant growth, thus
reducing agricultural productivity. Another negative effect is the reduced lifespan
of certain materials.
Severe depletion of the Antarctic ozone layer was first observed in the early
1980s. The international response embodied in the Montreal Protocol. Today 191
countries worldwide have signed the Montreal Protocol which is widely regarded
as the most successful Multinational Environmental Agreement ever reached to
date.

Furthermore the phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODS) has helped to
fight climate change since many ODS are also powerful greenhouse gases.
 HISTORY OF THE OZONE LAYER

600,000,000 B.C. Ozone layer forms

1839 Christian Schöenbein identifies ozone in the laboratory
Auguste de la Rive and Jean-Charles de Marignac suggest ozone is a
1845
form of oxygen; confirmed by Thomas Andrews in 1856
 1858 Andrei Houzeau finds ozone present in natural air
1865 Jean-Louis Soret proves that ozone is O3
Marie Alfred Cornu measures solar spectrum and finds sharp cutoff in
1879
ultraviolet (UV) light
1881 Walter Hartley recognizes cutoff corresponds to UV absorption by ozone
John William Strutt (Lord Rayleigh) shows absorption is not in lower
1913
atmosphere
Charles Fabry makes first spectrometric measurements of "thickness" of
1919
ozone layer
G.M.B. Dobson develops ozone spectrophotometer and begins regular
1924
measurements of ozone abundance (Arosa, Switzerland)
1925 Jean Cabannes and Jean Dufay show ozone is about 10 miles high
1928 Thomas Midgley synthesizes chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)
Umkehr method for Dobson instrument establishes that ozone maximum
1929
is below 15 miles altitude
Sydney Chapman describes theory that explains existence of an ozone
1930
"layer"
Ozonesonde (balloon) measurements establish the ozone concentration
1934
is maximum around 12 miles up
1930's GM develops applications for CFC's
David Bates and Marcel Nicolet propose catalytic (HOx) ozone
1950
destruction
Global network of Dobson spectrophotometers established during the
1957
International Geophysical Year (IGY)
late 1950's CFC market expands rapidly
early 1960's Catalytic destruction is necessary in order to explain ozone amounts
1960's Boeing proposes supersonic transport (SST) fleet of 800 aircraft
1969 Paul Crutzen discovers NOx catalytic cycle
Dept of Transportation sponsors intensive program of research, The
1971-74
Climatic Impact Assessment Program (CIAP)
1971 Congress axes funding for the SST
1971 Johnston calculates that NOx from SST's could deplete ozone layer
1973 Rick Stolarski and Ralph Cicerone suggest catalytic capability of Cl
1973 James Lovelock detects CFC's in atmosphere
Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina warn of ozone depletion due to
1974
CFC's
First international meeting (Washington DC) to address issue of ozone
March 1977
depletion held by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)
March 1978 US bans non-essential use of CFC's as aerosol propellant
Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) is launched aboard
1978
NIMBUS-7 spacecraft giving global coverage of ozone layer thickness
1980's Renewed expansion of CFC market
Oct 1982 Shigeru Chubachi measures low ozone over Syowa, Antarctica (reported
 at Ozone Commission meeting in Halkidiki, Greece in Sept 1984)
British Antarctic Survey scientists discover recurring springtime Antarctic
1984
ozone hole (published in Nature May 1985)
March 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
Sept. 1987
(Amendments - London 1990; Copenhagen 1992)
March 1988 DuPont agrees to CFC production phase-out
Ten years of satellite data begin to show measurable ozone depletion
late 1980's
globally
1991 DuPont announces phase-out of CFC production by end of 1996
1992/3 Abnormally low ozone observed globally
1995 Crutzen, Rowland, and Molina win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
mid-1990's springtime Arctic ozone dent appearing
Jan. 1996 CFC production ends in US and Europe
2000 Maximum CFC concentrations in stratosphere are reached
Today The Ozone Layer - Global Map
THE FUTURE
2010 CFC production ends world-wide
2030 Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) alternatives are phased out
2040 HCFC production ends world-wide
2050 Springtime Antarctic ozone hole disappears