Why is ozone a pollutant in the troposphere?
But in the troposphere, near ground-level, ozone molecules are both air pollutants, threatening the health of living things, and greenhouse gases, trapping heat and contributing to climate change. A small amount of ozone does occur naturally at ground level. Plants and soil release some.
Why is ozone good in the stratosphere and bad in the troposphere?
Stratospheric ozone is “good” because it protects living things from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ground-level ozone, the topic of this website, is “bad” because it can trigger a variety of health problems, particularly for children, the elderly, and people of all ages who have lung diseases such as asthma.
How is ozone useful in the stratosphere?
Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Without ozone, the Sun’s intense UV radiation would sterilize the Earth’s surface.
What is the difference between ozone in the troposphere and ozone in the stratosphere?
“Bad” ozone is found in the troposphere, the layer nearest the ground. Tropospheric ozone is a harmful pollutant which forms when sunlight alters various chemicals emitted by humans. Ozone in the stratosphere forms when a photon of ultraviolet “light” from the Sun strikes a normal oxygen molecule, breaking it apart.
What are the similarities and differences between tropospheric and stratospheric ozone?
Unlike stratospheric ozone, which forms naturally in the upper atmosphere and protects us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, ground-level (or tropospheric) ozone is created through the interactions of man-made (and natural) emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides in the presence of heat and …
What are the major differences between the troposphere and stratosphere?
The troposphere starts at the Earth’s surface and extends 8 to 14.5 kilometers high (5 to 9 miles). This part of the atmosphere is the most dense. Almost all weather is in this region. The stratosphere starts just above the troposphere and extends to 50 kilometers (31 miles) high.
What are the factors contributing to increase in tropospheric ozone concentration?
Reasons suggested include inter-continental transport of ozone and precursors, climate change/variability, biogenic non-methane VOC emissions, biomass burning and increased concentrations of methane in 2007.
What do the troposphere and stratosphere have in common?
What do the tropopause, stratopause, and mesopause all have in common? Each is a zone of decreasing water vapor content within the atmosphere. Each is a region of increasing pressure within the atmosphere. Each is an interface between two layers of the atmosphere.
What do the tropopause and Mesopause have in common?
Tropopause, Stratopause and Mesopause have all in common aspect that is point of maximum temperature in its layer of the atmosphere. All layers of atmosphere observe abrupt change in temperature. Mesopause is the boundary between Mesosphere and Thermosphere.
Does temperature really increase in the thermosphere?
The thermosphere is the outer layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, extending from about 53 miles to more than 370 miles above the surface. The temperature increases rapidly in this layer due to the absorption of huge amounts of incoming high energy solar radiation by atoms of nitrogen and oxygen.
What two things can fly in the stratosphere?
Air is roughly a thousand times thinner at the top of the stratosphere than it is at sea level. Because of this, jet aircraft and weather balloons reach their maximum operational altitudes within the stratosphere.
What is so special about the stratosphere?
The stratosphere is where you’ll find the very important ozone layer. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. In fact, the ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation the sun sends to us. Life as we know it wouldn’t be possible without this layer of protection.
Why is stratosphere called Ozonosphere?
The stratosphere gets its name because it is stratified, or layered: as elevation increases, the stratosphere gets warmer. The stratosphere increases in warmth with elevation because ozone gases in the upper layers absorb intense ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The ozone layer acts as a shield for life on Earth.
Do planes fly above the ozone layer?
Ozone is poisonous and, in high enough concentrations, can cause headaches, irritation to the respiratory system, and can harm lung function. Aircraft flying above the Tropopause may therefore be flying through air with high concentrations of Ozone.
What destroys the ozone layer?
Ozone Depletion. When chlorine and bromine atoms come into contact with ozone in the stratosphere, they destroy ozone molecules. One chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere.