ATMOSPHERE
The greenhouse effect
Ozone
Ozone layer depletion
The Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is how the earth is heating up due to trapped heat in
our atmosphere.
The atmosphere allows heat to enter but traps it from exiting. This is exactly
the same principle of a greenhouse and this is where the name comes from.
Importance of the atmosphere
The atmosphere is important because otherwise our planet would be freezing
and life could not exist.
An example of a planet without an atmosphere would be the moon. The
moon varies in temperature hugely everyday, because one of the important
functions of our atmosphere is to prevent the temperature changing much
per day.
How does the atmosphere trap heat?
The electrically lopsided (polar) molecules like water can absorb radiation
radiation from sun and heat, even though it is not an ion. This is because at
any time, one side of the molecule will be positively charged and the other
side will negatively charged.
Polar molecules create an electromagnetic field which vibrates when
radiation comes in contact with it. This vibration is kinetic energy, which is
felt as heat.
Ozone
Ozone is three oxygen atoms bonded together, it can either be “good” or
“bad”.
Is ozone good or bad?
Good: Ozone present in the stratosphere absorbs harmful UV radiation,
becoming essentially the earth's sunscreen; protecting us from getting skin
cancer.
Bad: Ozone present below the atmosphere is harmful to humans, as it is a
toxic gas which shouldn't be breathed in.
Ozone Layer Depletion
This is the gradual thinning of the earths ozone layer in the upper
atmosphere.
What causes Ozone layer depletion?
Ozone layer depletion is caused primarily by two different reactions
Nitrogen oxides react with ozone to form nitrogen and oxygen.
Chlorine acts as a catalyst causing ozone to rapidly break down
into oxygen
How did CFC's cause the ozone hole?
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), found in aerosol sprays, refrigerants and air
conditioners break down when they come in contact with the high energy in
the upper atmosphere releasing free chlorine ions. These deplete ozones. In
fact, this got so bad in the 1980's that there was a huge ozone hole above
antarctica.
They were banned in 1996, when the connection between them and ozone
depletion was discovered, now the ozone hole has been filled.
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joeClinton - 377 words.
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