Why is the Ozone layer important, and how big is it?

Answer 1

An atmospheric layer that contains a high proportion of oxygen that exists as ozone. It acts as a filtering mechanism against incoming ultraviolet radiation. It is located between the troposphere and the stratosphere, around 9.5 to 12.5 miles (15 to 20 kilometers) above the earth's surface.

Answer 2

It's one of the layers of the earth's atmosphere, important to us because it filters the sun's ultraviolet rays which harm our skin and a lot of things on earth.
It is currently as big as USA but it is located right at the south pole.
If we would have stopped today all means of destruction of the ozone layer, it could take over 100 years for it to heal by itself. Scientists have predicted 20 or 30 years but newer data is showing things will be much more difficult.
Mostly, some of the gases that we knew were causing it, are getting under control or no longer used, but also, new data is showing that are still other products currently in use that also affect the ozone. It's a constant learning issue that is coming back an forrth to haunt us, just like global warming. No one knows exactly all of what it is causing it, and even the known causes are hard to control.

Answer 3

The Ozone cycles in the stratosphere absorb all UVA and almost all of the UVB radiation that reaches Earth from the Sun. Now, here's the rub! Vitamin D3 is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B radiation. Vitamin D is essential, and if not produced by the skin, it must be ingested in products "fortified" in Vitamin D.

Ozone concentrations are greatest between about 15 and 40 km, where they range from about 2 to 8 parts per million. If all of the ozone were compressed to the pressure of the air at sea level, it would be only a few millimeters thick.
The Earth's equatorial radius, or semi-major axis, is the distance from its center to the equator and equals 6,378.135 km

The volume of the Ozone layer is approximately
(4/3)π(6418^3 - 6393^3) = 12,890,106,187 cubic kilometers

Answer 4

ozone layer envelopes the earth s

About 90 percent of the earth's ozone molecules are concentrated in a layer of the stratosphere called the "Ozone Layer". Stratospheric ozone is a naturally occurring gas that filters the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A depleted ozone layer allows more radiation to reach the Earth's surface. Among other problems overexposure to UV rays can lead to skin cancer, cataracts, and a weakened immune systems in humans. Increased UV can also lead to reduced crop yields and disruptions in the marine food chain.

Ozone depletion is caused by the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS), which were used widely as refrigerants, insulating foams, and solvents. Although CFCs are heavier than air, they are eventually carried into the stratosphere in a process that can take as long as 2 to 5 years.

When CFCs reach the stratosphere, the ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes them to break apart and release chlorine atoms which react with ozone, starting chemical cycles of ozone destruction, and depleting the ozone layer. One chlorine atom can disassociate more than 100,000 ozone molecules.

The most notable news about ozone depletion is the appearance of a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. The links below will give you both basic and technical material on the subject of ozone depletion.

Two important international agreements exit regulating the protection of the ozone layer and the use of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone depleting compounds. The text of these protocols may be found at:

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer