Ozone Depletion

Protest against ozone

depletion
 http://archive.greenpeace.org/~ozone/
gallery/sshow/sshow.html
 Video show
 Answer the questions on p. 1
Importance of the ozone layer
 Near ground level (trochosphere) -
pollution
 Form photochemical smog and acid
rain
 In the stratosphere (15 - 50 km) -
ozone layer screen out harmful Ultra-
violet radiation from the sun.
 Our atmosphere [1]

 Troposphere:
- The lowest layer (about 15 km from the ground)
- Contains normal air composed of N2, O2, water vapour, CO2, etc.
- Temperature decreases with altitude

 Stratosphere:
- Above the troposphere
- Temperature increases with altitude
- Contains a lot of ozone (ozone layer):
• Found in the stratosphere between 10 - 50km above the ground
• Protects us from the harmful effects of UV of certain wavelengths
• Decrease in ozone concentration  Increase in UV-B radiation
reaching the earth surface
Formation of ozone layer

O2 + sunlight  O + O

O + O 2  O3
 Ozone formation [2]

Ozone (O3)
 Chemically forms when UV hits on stratosphere
 Oxygen molecules dissociate into atomic oxygen

O2 O+O

 Atomic oxygen quickly combines with other oxygen molecules

to form ozone

O + O2 O3
 Ozone formation [3]

Ozone (O3)
 A pollutant on ground level
– A component of photochemical smog
 Important for our survival
– Absorbs some of the potentially harmful UV radiation
which can cause skin cancer and damage to vegetation
 Split and regenerate repeatedly
 Highest concentration in the upper atmosphere
 Concentration decreases at lower altitudes
 Ozone formation [1]

Ozone (O3)
 Made up of three oxygen atoms
 Occurs naturally as a layer in the stratosphere
 The layer is thinnest around the equator and the
concentration increases towards the poles
 The amount of ozone above a point on the earth’s
surface is measured in Dobson units (DU)
– ~ 260 DU near the Tropics
– higher elsewhere
 What is CFCs? [1]

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
 Composed of elements chlorine, fluorine, and
carbon
 Developed in 1930 by DuPont
 CFCs were welcomed by industries:
– Low toxicity
– Chemical stability
– Cheap
 Usage:
– As refrigerants
– As blowing agents
– For making flexible foam
– As cleaning agents
– As propellants
 What is CFCs? [2]

CFCs are used in aerosol sprays

(Sources: http://www.yahoo.com) CFCs were used as refrigerants in the
past (Sources: http://www.yahoo.com )
 Present situation
 Stratospheric ozone over Antarctica:
– Has been depleted over the last 15 years
– The ozone hole:
 enlarging
 large enough to cover most of the North America
 would take at least 50 years to restore
 Destruction of ozone layer
Chlorine atoms from CFCs attack the
ozone, taking away ozone and
forming chlorine monoxide (ClO).
O3 + Cl  O2 + ClO
Chlorine monoxide then combines with
another oxygen atom to form a new
oxygen molecule and a chlorine atom.
ClO + O  Cl + O2
The chlorine atom is free to destroy up to 100,000 ozone molecules
 Causes of ozone depletion
 Details are not fully understood
 Catalyzed by halocarbons (carbon compounds
containing fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine)
– Examples: CFCs and ClONO2
 Halogen atoms catalyze ozone layer depletion by
destroying ozone molecules and forming oxygen
molecules.
 Much more serious in Antarctica than other regions
on the planet
Consequences of less ozone
 Because CFCs has long life span
and very stable, it continuous to
attack the ozone layer and more
UV-B reach our earth.
 Health
 Sunburn, eye diseases (cataract),
skin cancer.
 Reduce our immune system 

other diseases
 Impacts on human health
 Skin Cancer
 Cataracts and Other Eye Damages
 Suppression of Immunity
 Food supply
 Reduce photosynthesis - crops
affected.
 Kills plankton  fish 
 Impacts on other animals
 Reduces plankton population
 Reduces penguin population
 Reduces the percentage of hatching of
frog eggs
 Air pollution
 Forming photochemical smog
Degrades building materials
 What has been done? [1]

International cooperation:
 Ban the use of CFCs as aerosol propellants
 The Vienna Convention on the Protection of the
Ozone Layer in 1985
– Governments committed themselves to protect the ozone
layer and to co-operate with each other to improve
understanding of ozone crisis.
 The Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete
the Ozone Layer
– Adopted by Governments in 1987
– Aims to reduce and eventually eliminate the emissions of
man-made ozone-depleting substances.
 What has been done? [2]

 SunWise School Program by EPA of the

US
 Phaseout of production of CFCs
 Substitutes for CFCs
1. How do scientists monitor the ozone level in the
stratosphere? Are the measurements accurate?
Monitoring
a. 1970s - 67 measuring stations at ground level

- uneven distribution
- too short to identify statistically
significant trends.
   - calculations contain inherent
uncertainties  incomplete scientific
description built in the computer
programme.
b. 1979 - Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer on
satellites (TOMS)
- global data available
2. How serious is the problem Of ozone
depletion?

Seriousness of ozone depletion:

1992 - average ozone concentration
is 2-3% lower than before
Northern parts of Europe and
Canada 20% lower in 93 winter
Antarctic - 50-90% lower every
winter
3. Are there any proofs that CFCs cause
the depletion of ozone?

Chlorine monoxide which is an

intermediate formed in the destruction
of ozone.
 
4. Why was there such a great difference in
terms of the attitudes of policy makers in
the US and Europe towards the warning
of scientists about CFCs in the 70's?

Attitudes of policy makers

US - NAS and EPA support scientists
warning of the problem and recommend
banning  wide coverage in the media 
increased public concern
Britain - Environmental Depths report
with a cautious tone, against the
need for precipitate action 
public debate of lower profile
 5. Will the Montreal Protocol save the
ozone layer?

Montreal Protocol
-- came too late
-- countries which had signed the Protocol had not
taken any immediate and practical action.
-- the chemicals already produced will continue to
seep into the atmosphere and attack the ozone
layer.
-- Many countries refused to cut down the use of
CFCs (e.g. China / India) unless they get some
financial help in meeting their demand.
6. What do you think make policy
makers sign the Montreal
Protocol?
Public pressure because of growing public,
scientific and political concern.
 
7. Why are there exceptions for
developing countries for the
Protocol?
Exceptions for developing countries
- because they do not have the technology

to switch to alternatives, refuse to sign

the protocol.
- to encourage them to participate in the
protocol.
- growing domestic needs and potential
markets for CFCs.
8. Why don't developing countries agree to
the standards of the Protocol? What can
be done to make them cut their use of
CFCs?

Financial and technological aids can help

LDCs to cut CFCs use
9. What are the reactions of business to the
Montreal Protocol?

Reactions of business
- finding substitutes
- developing new technologies
- surprising results: save money & improve
performance
10. Other than stopping CFC production,
what other remedial work should be
done? Are there any obstacles to these?

Other remedial work

- to develop systems for recovery &

recycling the chemicals already used.

Obstacles
- technical challenge, diplomatic challenge
11. What are the alternatives for CFCs?
Are they expensive? Who will promote
the use of these alternatives?

Alternatives for CFCs

- ammonia, propane, water
- cheap because abundant and not patented
- scientists and business which foresee the
advantage of using such alternatives
(energy saving, cheap), but not chemical
companies
12. Are there any relationships between the
Greenhouse Effect and ozone
depletion?
Similarities between GHE and Ozone
Depletion issue
- long-term environmental impact which
affect future generations, e.g. food supply
- prediction of future impact involves
scientific uncertainties
- global problem
- difficult to impose environmental regulations
- clash with economic interests or conflicts
among countries
- no immediate action to deal with the problem
although many conference concerning about
this problem.
 
13. Contrast the reactions of policy makers
towards the issue of global warming and
ozone depletion. Why do you think
there's such a difference in attitudes?

- Policy makers have taken action for the ozone

issue before there is scientific proof (1985:
Vienna Convention; proof came in 1987) but
not GHE - reasons:
 
- image of a hole in the sky, through which pour
deadly cancer-causing rays exerted a powerful
hold on the public imagination  great
pressure on policy makers to do something
- effect of ozone depletion already felt with
reports of increase in cancer risk e.g. in Australia
 
- effects of GHE do not create so much
disturbance among average citizens; melting of
ice, flooding, species extinction: seem not to be
direct effects on individuals' well-being
 Discussion
 Naturally, there is a balance of ozone
formation and depletion. What disturb this
balance?
 What are the functions of the ozone layer?
 How to reduce emission of ozone depleting
substances?
 Do you agree that people living in the
southern hemisphere are more prone to skin
cancer than those living in the northern
hemisphere? Why?
 Relevant websites [1]

 US Environmental Protection Agency

(http://www.epa.gov)
– The Science of Ozone Depletion
(http://www.epa.gov/students/ozone_depletion.htm)
– United States Environmental Protection Agency: Ozone
Depletion Home Page (http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/)
 USA NASA (http://www.nasa.gov)
– NASA-Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Tutorial
(http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/Ozone)
 Union of Concerned Scientists (http://www.ucsusa.org)
– Ozone Depletion
(http://www.ucsusa.org/ozonedepletion/ozone.sciupdate.html
)
 Relevant websites [2]

 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA) (http://www.al.noaa.gov)
– WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion
1994
(http://www.al.noaa.gov/WWWHD/pubdocs/Assessment9
4.html)
 Hong Kong Cyber Campus
(http:/www.hkcampus.net/main.phtml)
– Ozone depletion
(http://cwc.hkcampus.net/~cwc-fkc/Ozone
%20Depletion.files/frame.htm)
– Chemistry Summer Project Work
(http://ucc.hkcampus.net/~ucc-ckt/ozone/first.htm)