The Ozone Hole

SCROLLING THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION WILL GIVE YOU THE SCIENTIFIC BASICS ON HOW THE OZONE HOLE IS BEING CREATED

Note: Although UV rays contribute to climate change, it is only a small percentage compared to other sources, however, UV rays do contribute to smog.

Welcome to my presentation explaining what exactly global warming is, and how it affects our atmosphere.

Below are some necessary vocabulary words that you should know before the presentation begins:

O3 (Ozone)

This is O3, also known as ozone. Most O3 is in our stratosphere, and it protects the Earth from UV rays. It is comprised of 3 oxygen atoms.

UV rays

UV rays are lethal rays of radiation that are emitted by the sun. They heat the Earth, and cause skin cancer, immune system damage, damage to terrestrial and aquatic life, and smog.

Chlorine

This is a chlorine atom. When in contact with O3, it reacts violently.

Chlorofluorocarbon

This is a chlorofluorocarbon, a molecule made up of two fluorine and chlorine atoms each sharing a covalent bond with a carbon atom.

Chlorofluorocarbons (see description above) are commonly emitted from the burning of coal, in things like barbecues and fires. After they are released, they travel into our atmosphere.

In the atmosphere, they may come into contact with a UV ray, and break into two chlorine atoms, while the other atoms are dissolved. The chlorine atoms continue to float around in our stratosphere.

Chlorine atoms will often come into contact with O3 (see description above).

The chlorine, unknowingly, connects with the O3, an already unstable molecule, and breaks it into three oxygen atoms, though the chlorine survives. Given the important role O3 plays in stopping UV rays, this can allow some UV rays to pass onto the Earth. You may be asking yourself when UV rays hit O3 they also break it up, so the oxygen would just reform into O3, without any problems, right? If so you are only half right - yes the oxygen can reform, but there is still a problem.

After an O3 molecule is hit by an ultraviolet ray, it splits into three oxygen atoms. These atoms normally form another bond and become O3 once again, but the key takeaway, is, that when the UV ray broke the ozone apart, the radiation from the UV ray was absorbed. This happens with billions to trillions of O3 molecules, so you can imagine that many UV rays are stopped from passing through the stratosphere and onto the Earth, and then the ozone is created again. In fact, there is a balance present here called the ozone oxygen cycle. But, by having a third party source, chlorine, which acts as another destroyer of ozone, the balance tips, and more UV rays are able to come to Earth and harm it. It is clear that chlorofluorocarbons are terrible for the environment, but you may be asking yourself, well coal isn't only burned by humans, so this isn't completely our fault right? But....

And this measure is rising by the minute. Did you know that on July 4th alone, just Americans burn enough energy to power 20,000 households for a year?! Think about all the Chlorofluorocarbons that are being released into the atmosphere. Also, I encourage you to remember that there are other elements like chlorine which can disrupt the oxygen ozone cycle, and let harmful UV rays hit the Earth. In fact, this is what causes the ozone hole, as elements like chlorine contribute to the mass destruction of O3, and they all tend to drift to the poles, destroying the most ozone there, thus creating the ozone hole. Furthermore, these elements can remain in the stratosphere for up to 100 years before they drift out into outer space. Luckily there are some solutions:

Eco-Friendly Grills

Though these options can be more expensive, it is worth it. You won't have to pay for more fuel, as all it needs is the sun for power, and you will be helping halt the release of Chlorofluorocarbons.

Don't Make Fires

When going camping, try to refrain from using fires unless it is necessary for your survival. For light, use flashlights, and for heat, well use clothes and blankets!

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