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Clouds and the ozone hole
What's the connection with the ozone hole?
First, we need to talk about chemistry. Ozone is a very important chemical in
the
stratosphere. Because of its molecular structure, ozone absorbs
solar radiation
that is between 0.2 and 0.3 um (1 um, or micrometer, is one-millionth
of a meter). This causes the stratosphere to warm, and it also prevents
dangerous radiation from reaching the Earth's surface. Radiation at wavelengths
below 0.3 um has enough energy to form skin cancer.
Ozone (O3) is most abundant at 25 km. It is formed by the combination of
molecular oxygen (O2) and atomic oxygen (O). It can be destroyed by absorbing
ultraviolet radiation, by colliding with other molecules, or by combining with
another ozone molecule.
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What's the connection with the ozone hole? continued
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What's the connection with the ozone hole?
First, we need to talk about chemistry. Ozone is a very important chemical in
the
stratosphere. Because of its molecular structure, ozone absorbs
solar radiation
that is between 0.2 and 0.3 um (1 um, or micrometer, is one-millionth
of a meter). This causes the stratosphere to warm, and it also prevents
dangerous radiation from reaching the Earth's surface. Radiation at wavelengths
below 0.3 um has enough energy to form skin cancer.
Ozone (O3) is most abundant at 25 km. It is formed by the combination of
molecular oxygen (O2) and atomic oxygen (O). It can be destroyed by absorbing
ultraviolet radiation, by colliding with other molecules, or by combining with
another ozone molecule.
Next page
->
What's the connection with the ozone hole? continued
Links and resources
