Question

What do you understand about the ozone layer? Write an essay to participate in the elocution competition on the importance of ozone layer.

Answer 1

- Hint: Ozone layer is a layer in the atmosphere of the earth which is very essential in protecting it from harmful radiations. Depletion of the Ozone layer is a very serious concern. Start the question by defining the ozone layer, concerns regarding its depletion and summarise the importance of the Ozone layer and its protection.

Complete step by step answer:
Ozone layer is defined as, “A region in the earth’s stratosphere that contains high concentrations of ozone and protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiations of the sun.”
Ozone layer is also known as ozone shield. It is present in Earth’s stratosphere. It is made up of a large amount of ozone - \[{{O}_{3}}\].
Ozone is made when ultraviolet light strikes on oxygen, which breaks it into two atomic oxygen.
\[\begin{align}
  & {{O}_{2}}+h{{\nu }_{uv}}\to 2O \\
 & O+{{O}_{2}}\leftrightarrow {{O}_{3}} \\
\end{align}\]
Therefore, the ozone layer helps in absorbing the dangerous ultraviolet radiations (wavelength – 220-290 nm). But Ozone can be easily depleted by free radicals and organohalogen compounds. This results in harmful radiations penetrating the earth’s atmosphere.
The importance of Ozone layer can be summarized as –
Ozone layer helps in sustaining life on earth. It is a very integral part in maintaining the temperature of earth.
Ozone layer protects the environment by reducing strong ultraviolet rays so that it doesn’t lead to harmful effects on plants and trees. UV light can lead to minimal growth, less photosynthesis in plants.
Ozone layer protects humans from developing diseases such as skin cancer, sunburns. Weak immune system.
It also protects animals from developing such diseases
Not only this, greater exposure to UV can greatly degrade the fertility of all beings. The Ozone layer protects us from that.
And therefore, we can conclude that the Ozone layer is very essential to all life forms on earth.

Additional Information:

“Dobson Unit” is a measure of the amount of ozone present overhead.

Note: Earth has the following layers in its atmosphere – Ionosphere, Exosphere, Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere (Ozone layer is present in this layer), Troposphere. Troposphere is the lowest layer of atmosphere, which extends till 10 km above sea level. It contains most of the clouds, about 99%, as water vapour is found here. As we go higher in altitude, the pressure increases and the temperature drops.