Ozone layer depletion:-

1. Ozone
2. CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)
3. Ozone layer depletion process
4. Harmful effects of ozone layer depletion

Ozone:-

Ozone is an odourless, light blue colour gas. Ozone has the same chemical structure,
weather it occurs above the earth or at ground level and can be good or bad depending on
its location in the atmosphere.

Ozone is naturally formed by short wavelength ultraviolet radiation in the

upper stratosphere. Wavelength less than 240nm are absorbed by normal oxygen
molecules, which dissociate to give oxygen atoms. The O atoms in combination with
other oxygen molecules produce ozone.

O2 + (short wavelength < 240nm) O+O

O+O2 O3

CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon)

It is manmade chemicals and are used in various industrial, commercial and household
appliances.

These substances are non toxic, non flammable and non reactive with other chemical
compounds.

(These desirable safety characteristics, along with their stable thermodynamics properties,
make them ideal for many applications as coolants for commercial and home refrigeration
units, aerosol propellants and solvents in electric industry and blowing agents in fire
extinguishers).

The most important types of CFC’s for ozone depletion are: -

 Trichlofluoromethane, CFCl3, known as CFC-11

 Dichlorodifluoromethane, CF2Cl2, known as CFC-12
 1,1,2 Trichlorotrifluoroethane, CF2ClCFCl2

Ozone layer depletion process: -

In the stratosphere region between 19-30 km above the earth’s surface, ozone is constantly
being produced and destroyed naturally. This production and destruction makes the
stratosphere with ozone layer, which is used to filter the ultraviolet radiation from the sun and
protect life on earth. Usually there is fine balance between the build up and loss of ozone. But
the manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbon are destroying the ozone molecules in the
ozone layer.

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The chlorofluorocarbon themselves does not destroy ozone molecules at the low temperature.
A small amount of chlorine atom and chlorine monoxide, are functioned as catalyst in the
process of destruction of ozone.

The simplest equations are: -

The chlorine atom in the above reaction is functioning as catalyst and it is not consumed by
the reaction. The chlorine atom used in the reaction remains there as chlorine even at the end
of the reaction. Once the chlorine has broken up one ozone molecule, repeat the process
again and again, until its removal by any other by any other means or reaction in the
atmosphere. The chlorofluorocarbons released are stable and can live upto about 100 years.

Harmful effects on ozone layer depletion: -

The ozone layer is protecting all the life forms in the earth from the UV radiation. Any
significant decrease in the amount of ozone in the atmosphere would result in an increase in
the amount of UV-radiation reaching the earth’s surface. This lead to an increase harmful
effect for human being and all other lives.

Harmful effects are: -

 Reddening of skin in sun shine

 Skin cancer
 Reduction in body’s immunity to disease
 Eye disorders like blindness

Climate change and global warming: -

1. Climate change: - This is the long term average of a region’s weather events
grouped together. Climate change is the representation of change in these long-term
weather patterns.
2. Green houses: -The green houses are small glass panelled houses. Especially in
winter as well as in the colder regions, the green houses are used to grow plants. The
glass panels easily transmit solar energy into the green house and convert as heat
energy and keep the plants warm enough to live and grow in the winter, but the glass
prevents the heat inside the glass house from being lost to the atmosphere. This is
similar to experience more heat inside a closed car parked in sunlight.
3. Green house gases: - The green house gases generally occur naturally in the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbon, water
vapour etc, are some of the green house gases present in the atmosphere.
Among the above green house gases, carbon dioxide plays the vital role to change in
the intensity of the earth’s green house effect. By about 55% the contribution of the

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 other gases are 25% for CFC, 15% for methane and 5% for nitrous oxide. The
enhancement of ozone’s contribution of green house effect is still yet to be quantified.
The high concentration of carbon dioxide may increase the average global
temperature between 1°c to 3°c. The sources of carbon dioxide are combustion of
fossil fuels from industries, exhaust from transport vehicles, space heating, generation
of electricity and cooking, the change of vegetations in natural and forest ecosystems.

4. Sources of green house gases: -

Sl. Green house Sources

No. gas
1. Carbon dioxide Burning of fossil fuel such as coal and petroleum, power
stations based on fossil fuels, increased automobiles,
deforestation, ore industrialization
2. Methane Garbage dumps, paddy fields
3. Nitrous oxide Emission from diesel engines, lightening, use of fertilizers
in agricultural lands, burning of fossil fuel
4. CFC Air conditioners, refrigerators, fire extinguishers.

5. Green house effect: - The green house effect is a naturally occurring process that
makes the earth warmer by trapping more energy in the atmosphere. The green house
gases absorb and hold heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping back into the
space.

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Without the green house effect life on earth would probably mot possible as the average
temperature of the earth would be a chilly rather than the present temperature which is
suitable for the life on earth.

In the atmosphere about 26% of the solar energy is reflected back to space by clouds and
particles and about 19% of energy available is absorbed by clouds, gases and particles in the
atmosphere of the remaining 55% of the solar energy passing through the earth’s atmosphere
about 4% is reflected from the surface back to space. On average 51% of sun’s radiation
reaches, the surface, which is used in the number of processes including heating water,
photosynthesis of plants and melting of ice.

The amount of heat energy added to the atmosphere by the green house effect is controlled by
the concentration of the green house gases in the earth’s atmosphere. All of the major green
house gases have increased in concentration since the beginning of industrial revolution.

6. Global warming: -

Global warming is defined as the increase in the temperature of the earth, which causes more
changes in climate.

In the last few centuries, agricultural and other human activities have released substantially
more green houses gases into the atmosphere. This causes the atmosphere to trap increasing
amounts of heat energy at the earth’s surface and making the planet warmer than usual. Even
a little extra warming may cause problems for humans, plants and animals.

The average global temperature is now 1°c (1.8°F) higher than in 1900. Predictions of future
climates indicate that by the middle of the next this century the earth’s global temperature
may be 1°c to 3°c higher than today.

The international Red Cross and Red Crescent analysed the past 33 years of natural disasters
90% of which are whether related and found that the number of there has increased in the
past three decades.

Effects of global warming: -

1. More heat waves
2. Expansion of desert area
3. Natural fires in forest lands
4. More evaporation of water from oceans and water bodies
5. Melting of ice caps.
6. More cloud formation in the atmosphere
7. Shorter winters and longer summer
8. Changes in pattern of rainfall
9. More drought
10. More impacts on plants, animals and humans

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 Control and remedial measures: -

1. Reduction in consumption of fossil fuel such as coal and petroleum

2. Use of bio gas plants
3. Use of nuclear power plants
4. Increasing forest cover
5. Use of unleaded petrol in automobiles
6. Installation of pollution controlling devices in automobiles and industries.

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