The role of the ozone layer

The earth environment we live in is protected by multiple layers of gases, and the ozone layer is one of them. In addition to its protective function for the earth, the ozone layer also has a heating effect and acts as a greenhouse gas. Therefore, people must protect the ozone layer and prevent it from being damaged by environmental pollution and other problems. Next, I will introduce the role of the ozone layer in detail.

The atmospheric ozone layer has three main functions. One is the protective effect. The ozone layer can absorb ultraviolet rays with a wavelength below 306.3nm in sunlight, mainly a part of UV-B (wavelength 290~300nm) and all UV-C (wavelength <290nm), protecting humans, animals and plants on the earth from the harm of short-wave ultraviolet rays. Only long-wave ultraviolet rays UV-A and a small amount of medium-wave ultraviolet rays UV-B can radiate to the ground. The damage of long-wave ultraviolet rays to biological cells is much milder than that of medium-wave ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the ozone layer is like an umbrella that protects the creatures on the earth to survive and reproduce.

The second is the heating effect. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet rays in sunlight and converts them into heat energy to heat the atmosphere. Due to this effect, the atmospheric temperature structure has a peak at an altitude of about 50km, and there is a warming layer 15~50km above the earth. It is because of the existence of ozone that the stratosphere exists. There is no stratosphere on planets other than Earth because there is no ozone and oxygen. The temperature structure of the atmosphere has an important influence on the atmospheric circulation, and this phenomenon is also caused by the high distribution of ozone.

The third is the role of greenhouse gases. In the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere, that is, at this altitude where the temperature is very low, the role of ozone is also very important. If ozone at this altitude decreases, it will create a force that will lower the ground temperature. Therefore, the altitude distribution and changes of ozone are extremely important.

Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs a large amount of ultraviolet radiation (240-329 nanometers, called UV-B wavelengths) emitted by the sun, which is harmful to humans, animals and plants, providing the earth with a barrier to prevent the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. On the other hand, ozone is present throughout the troposphere and acts as a greenhouse gas. Ozone depletion in the stratosphere is mainly caused by dynamic migration to the troposphere, where it obtains most of the catalytically active substrates and carrier molecules, which are then consumed by chemical reactions. Ozone mainly reacts with active free radicals contained in HOX, NOX, ClOX and BrOX in the same gas phase.