Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole
Ozone (O3) was first discovered in 1839 by German scientist Schonbein. As a
result of passing an electrical discharge through gaseous oxygen, he noticed a
strange odor that is sometimes noticed during thunderstorms and near electrical
equipment. Schonbein did not know what this smelly gas was, but he named it
ozone from the Greek word ozein which means “to smell”.
At the present observations show an increase in the concentrations of the
bad ozone, while decreases in the concentrations of the good ozone.
Increases in bad tropospheric ozone are being blamed on urban pollution,
biomass burning and aircraft traffic.
1
2
O
O
O2
3
4
O3
O3
1
3
2
4
Ozone Layer
O2 + UV(sun) => O + O
Ozone Creation
O2 + UV (sun) => O + O + heat
O2 + O => O3
Ozone Destruction
O3 + UV (sun) => O2 + O + heat
Brewer-Dobson Circulation
CFCs invented in 1928: General Motors
CFC: ChloroFluoroCarbon
Freons
CFCs as a Function of Altitude
Ozone Levels VS Latitude
Halley Station
Antarctica
70% decrease
Ozone Depletion
Polar Stratospheric Clouds
Arctic Ozone Hole (March-April)
11 Sept.
2014
2014
Important Facts
• Ozone Depletion and the Ozone Hole DO NOT
directly influence global warming
• Ozone Depletion influences the amount of UV
radiation reaching the surface
• The Ozone Hole occurs only in the polar regions
• The Ozone Hole occurs only during the spring
months (Sep-Oct: SH; Mar-Apr: NH)
• If we reduce the Cl in the stratosphere, the Ozone
Hole will fix itself within 50-100 years.