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How ozone holes are formed
If you look broadly, there are two reasons for the formation of ozone holes — natural and anthropogenic (caused by human activity). That is, not only do we influence what our ozone layer will be like, but our contribution is still significant. However, there is a theory that this is not the case, but I will tell you about it later. In the meantime, let’s weigh the pros and cons of classical scientific theory.
If we talk about human activity, the greatest impact on the ozone layer is caused by chemical compounds that enter the air and react with this gas. The greatest concentration of such substances is collected in the area of the poles, therefore it is there that the thickness of the ozone layer is the smallest.
Among the compounds that destroy the ozone layer, there are those that are of organic and chemical origin. The main substances that contribute negatively are hydrogen, bromine, oxygen and especially chlorine. Their compounds are also harmful, as they also react with ozone. The catalyst is often ultraviolet, which is always enough at such a height.
How ozone holes are formed. The structure of the Earth’s atmosphere. Photo.
The structure of the Earth’s atmosphere
What is being done to protect the ozone layer
Halogenated hydrocarbons have the strongest effect on ozone. They were widely used in industry for decades, until the problem was identified and the Montreal Convention was signed in 1989. At first, she obliged countries to take all necessary measures to protect the ozone layer, but did not say anything specific. Later, recommendations appeared to reduce the use of chlorofluorocarbons, a type of freon based on methane, ethane and propane series.
These compounds have been widely used in aerosol cans, solvents and other chemicals. They evaporated very quickly and reached the stratosphere, decomposing into components and destroying the ozone layer.
Scientists told what impact the presence of a hole in the ozone layer had on the Earth
Of course, some companies that were leaders in the production of such chemicals really did not want to lose most of their business. For example, DuPont spent millions of dollars on the company in the press, which proved to everyone that the problem was exaggerated. But gradually the abandonment of harmful components did occur and a couple of years ago the UN even gave its encouraging forecast. The problem is that the concentration of freons in the atmosphere is still too high and it is necessary to wait until it comes out of it. Some scientists even say that certain types of compounds have a life span of hundreds of years, which means it is too early to talk about complete ”healing”.
