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The Ozone Layer and CFCs - Online Term Paper

The Ozone Layer and CFCs

Introduction:

The depletion of the ozone layer has become a matter of growing concern in recent years; especially in light of the fact that the ubiquity of the environmental movement has made it impossible for ordinary citizens to overlook. In the mid-1970s, scientists at the Univ. of California, Irvine identified CFCs as the major cause of ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere; this was later confirmed by satellite studies. The overall structure of the ozone layer now has many problems. There is some progress with trying to correct or slow down the depletion of the ozone but the chlorofluorocarbons did a lot of undo-able damage. As should become apparent, while the challenges remain ...

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apparently vary depending upon the source consulted (Gleason para.2) - and shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation (“Ozone Layer” sec.1-4). The creation, the production, of this band of ozone is complex for those not well-acquainted with chemistry. Be that as it may, it can be said that ozone is mostly produced by ultraviolet light hitting oxygen molecules containing two oxygen atoms. The consequence of this collision is that the aforementioned oxygen atoms are “uncoupled” and split into individual atoms (commonly known as “atomic oxygen”). This atomic oxygen then combines with “unbroken” two-oxygen-atom-molecules to create “ozone” – or O3. The newly-formed ozone molecule is unstable and any contact it has with ultraviolet light will result in it splitting into a molecule of O2 and into an atom of atomic oxygen, thereby completing what is known as the “ozone-oxygen cycle” and creating the ozone layer that exists in the stratosphere (“Dictionary by LaborLawTalk: Ozone ...

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Simply put, chlorine atoms destroy the ozone far faster than it can be naturally replaced. As an addendum, while fires and some kinds of aquatic life can produce one stable form of chlorine which ultimately ascends into the atmosphere, CFCs (and other common chemicals) make up 84 percent of all the chlorine in earth’s atmosphere (United States Environmental Agency sec.II).
Suffice it to say, the preceding discussion leads us into an exploration of the “ozone hole” that has been an understandable focus of attention for environmentalists since the 1970s. Specifically, the ozone layer is not a “hole” per se, as much as it is a large area located in the stratosphere hovering ...

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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 3/23/2011 12:48:00 PM
Submitted By: savyywiz09
Category: Science & Nature
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1282
Pages: 5

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SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Cfcs Cause Deterioration Of The...
» Destruction Of The Ozone Layer
» The Cause, Effects, and Damages...
» The Ozone Layer
» The Importance Of The Ozone Lay...
» The Destruction Of The Ozone La...
» The Depletion Of Ozone Layer
» Ozone
» The Atmospheric Ozone Layer
» Detrimental Effects That Techno...
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