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A Tour of The Ozone Hole - Print
A Tour of The Ozone Hole - Print
(1)
O3 + hv -> O2 + O
(3)
O + O2 -> O3
(2)
• Ozone is also destroyed by the following reaction:
O + O3 -> O2 + O2
(4)
Comparison of reactions
• Reaction (2) slower with increasing altitude
• Reaction (3) faster with increasing altitude
• Lower in stratosphere, atmosphere denser,
UV absorption increases – ozone peaks
20km
• Closer to surface, UV level decr, ozone decr
Chemical processes
ozone depletion
• Chlorine, bromine – from human activities
• Chlorine carriers – hydrochloric acid, chlorine nitrate
• Other impt cpds – nitric acid, dinitrogen pentoxide
• Right conditions necessary for chemical
reactions to occur
• On surface of PSC
• Denoxification – slows removal ClO
Not there yet -
• We still have many more atoms ozone than
active chlorine
• How do we destroy all the ozone??
One more step:
• Only have molecular chlorine (Cl 2)
• Require atomic chlorine to destroy ozone
• Via “photodissociation”
• Cl2 + hv -> Cl + Cl
• Key to timing of ozone hole
• Finally – catalytic destruction of ozone
Final stage
• Catalytic cycle – molecules significantly
changes or enables a reaction cycle without
being altered by the cycle itself
Ozone loss recipe - summary
• Polar winter polar vortex isolates air within
• Cold temperatures Polar Stratospheric Clouds
vortex air isolated cold temperatures &
PSC’s persist
• Heterogeneous reactions allow reservoir species of
chlorine & bromine - rapidly converted to more
active forms.
• No ozone loss until sunlight returns production
active chlorine initiates catalytic ozone
destruction ozone loss rapid
The Antarctic polar vortex
Ozone loss over Antarctica
• most dramatic in the lower stratosphere
• nearly all the ozone depleted
• area the size of Antarctica
• many km thick
• most pronounced in spring/October
• persists two months
• December – moves Falklands, S Georgia, S
Am
Evolution ClONO2 – North Pole –
winter 1994
• http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/tour_mpe
g/anim_clono2.mpg
• Winter – no light – ClONO2 destroyed –
sunlight returns – ClONO2 recovery – edge
vortex – doughnut shape – ‘chlorine nitrate
collar’
What causes the depletion?
• release of manmade chemicals –
• CFC - refrigerants, aerosol sprays, solvents and foam-
blowing agents
• halogen compounds - Fire fighters used bromine-
containing halogens to put out fires
• NOx
One chlorine atom - average - destroys one thousand
ozone molecules before converted into form harmless
to ozone
Atmospheric Chlorine cycle
Vertical
Structure
of Ozone
Cycle
CFCs and Ozone depletion
Reservoirs Reactions
Nitrous oxide cycle
Ozone depletion through
nitrous oxide
Sources that harm ozone layer
Sources of
chlorofluroc
arbons
Total ozone – October monthly averages
Quite deadly
Distinct latitudinal
distribution
And . . . elevated risk of
• herpes viruses
• human immunodeficiency virus HIV- 1
• variety of papilloma viruses
• leishmaniasis
• malaria
• forms of tuberculosis
• leprosy
• lupus erthematodes
• dermatitis
• E. coli
• Staphylococcus aureus
Biological Consequences
• Biologically damaging young, new shoots
• Southern Ocean - most productive marine
ecosystem - less phytoplankton (8.5per cent
decr)- food for microscopic animals - eaten
by krill – sustain seals, penguins, and
baleen whales
• 6 % ozone depletion loss 7 million tons
fish per year
And . .
• damages DNA marine bacteria, starfish
and urchins larvae
• alters ocean chemistry
Ozone hole 2003
Visit:
http://www.theozonehole.com/ozonehole2003
.htm