Ozone and UV radiation Learning Objectives What is ozone?

Learning Objectives
MET 112 Global Climate Change - Lecture 20
Ozone and UV radiation
ƒ To understand the role ozone plays in the Earth’s
system.
Eugene Cordero
San Jose State University, Spring 2004
ƒ To understand how surface UV radiation varies.
Outline
ƒ What is ozone, why is it important?
ƒ What about UV radiation?
ƒ Activity 13
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What is ozone?
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How is ozone produced?
ƒ Ozone is produced and destroyed naturally
ƒ Production:
– It is formed when oxygen absorbs solar radiation
ƒ Ozone reacts with various other chemicals, and thus
is highly reactive (i.e.)
ƒ The ozone molecule contains three oxygen atoms,
hence O3 is ozone.
ƒ Net : O3 +O→ 2O2
ƒ One Cl atom can destroy ~100,000 ozone molecules
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Why is the ozone layer important
ƒ Ozone acts as the Earth’s protective shield
against the Sun’s harmful Ultraviolet radiation
(UV radiation).
ƒ The natural development of the ozone layer
permitted life to evolve above water.
ƒ
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Ozone, the good and the bad
Ozone in the Atmosphere
Ozone is often
confused:
ƒ Ozone is produced and destroyed naturally in the
atmosphere.
Stratosphere
Good ozone:
Bad ozone:
Altitude (km)
ƒ Ozone is also transported around by winds.
ƒ The ozone layer is measured in ________________ which
correspond to the__________, which is the column of ozone
from the surface to the top of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
ƒ Ozone values change daily and from season to season, but
have a ‘regular’ cycle.
ozone amount
Q1: At what altitude is the ozone layer a maximum?
Q2: Where is the ozone layer?
ƒ Ozone is responsible for the heating of the stratosphere:
–
~ 23-25 km
Stratosphere
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Dobson Units (DU) as a measure of total
ozone
Yesterday’s Total Ozone
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Total ozone over different cities
ƒ Total ozone amount on October 3, 2000 over:
– San Francisco _____________ DU
– Punta Arenas, Chile _________DU
– Darwin, Australia ____________DU
– South Pole, Antarctica ________DU
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UV radiation
ƒ UV radiation is emitted from the sun with
wavelength from 200-400 nm (nanometers)
ƒ UV radiation is divided into three ranges
– UV-A, 320 - 400 nm
– UV-B, 290 - 320 nm
– UV-C, 200 - 290 nm
ƒ
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Ozone profile with height and UV
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UV radiation
What affects the amount of UV radiation hitting the Earth?
ƒ _______________________
ƒ _______________________
ƒ _______________________
ƒ _______________________
ƒ _______________________
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UV changes during the day
Satellite image of UV radiation
January
June
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Summary Questions
Concept Map Terms
ƒ Ozone
ƒ UV radiation
ƒ Sun
ƒ Gas
ƒ Skin Cancer
ƒ Summer
ƒ Winter
ƒ Spring
ƒ Atmosphere
ƒ CFC’s
ƒ South Pole
ƒ Trends
ƒ Ozone hole
ƒ Chlorine
ƒ Can ozone be replaced if it’s destroyed?
ƒ Why do ozone values change from day to day?
ƒ Why is the ozone layer important?
ƒ What factors affect surface UV radiation intensity?
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Dobson Unit
Total Ozone
Tropospheric ozone
Good ozone
Stratospheric ozone
Bad ozone
TOMS
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