How difficult is it to patch up the holes in the ozone layer?

Question

What is the best way for man to restore the natural structure & formation of the ozone layer?

Answer 1

If we stop releasing the chemicals that create the reactions that reduce ozone it will heal over time. We have made good progress in this area since the Montreal Protocol, and dramatically cut CFCs. This is seen as one of the success stories of global environmental policy. However, CFCs have a really long life and travel really slowly into the stratosphere, so we will still be suffering from the old ones for around 40 years yet before we see a reduction!

Johnnie B - I challenge you to find ONE piece of scientific evidence for the claptrap you are spouting. The solar wind has nothing to do with the Ozone hole! The magnetosphere prevents it from entering the atmosphere at all, never mind permeating all the way to the stratosphere! There is a SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS on the anthropogenic causes of the ozone hole.

The natural ozone in the atmosphere is caused by solar RADIATION (not wind, which is completely different) - the energy of which breaks up oxygen to create ozone. Stratospheric ozone is destroyed by nitrogen oxides and chlorine radicals - created from CFCs and nitrous oxides (which are produced in combustion). These are transported from the source to the atmosphere and react chemically with the inherently unstable ozone, converting unstable O3 to stable O2 and removing all the odd oxygen atoms. It is universally agreed in the scientific community that the anthropogenic sources of trace gases are the primary factor in the ozone decline.

Answer 2

Boy do u have it all wrong. The ozone layer is doing fine and u had nothing to do with it. The ozone layer is produced when the solar wind collides with the earth's magnetic field . I don't think u can inter intrefere with either so for now we are safe from those idiots. Stop telling how to fix something u know nothing about.

Answer 3

The ozone layer will heal itself, the one thing we can do to help is to stop pumping things in to the atmosphere that break up the ozone layer.

The reaction of ozone in the upper atmosphere is a dynamic reaction (equilibrium) in which ozone is broken down by solar rays to give oxygen which in turn gets converted back to ozone and absorbing solar rays. CFCs alter this equilibrium resulting in more ozone being converted to oxygen. Once they are no longer around the equilibrium will return to what it once was.

Ironically one of the pollution problems at ground level is too much ozone.

Answer 4

Ok you want more ozone(O3) in the troposphere right? I think you've got enough UV up there to trigger these photochemical rxns. First get ethane into the upper atmosphere (C2H6)
C2H6+10O2> 2H20+ H2+CO2+CO+5O3
That's 1 ethane mol+10 oxygen mols> 2 water mols+1 hydrogen mol+1carbon dioxide/monoxide mol+ 5 ozone mols
Then CO+ 2O2> CO2+O3
thats 1 CO2 mol+ 2 oxygen mols> 1CO2 mol+1 ozone mol
Have missed out the transition stages for simplicity, but the catalysis of the reaction chain does require a large input of Nitric Oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide(NO2). This could conveniently achieved by a large thermonuclear explosion in the upper atmosphere or by extremely powerful electrical discharges. Also does produce excess CO2 and depletes the oxygen to the extent of 5mols ozone to every 10 mols oxygen. Worth a try?

Answer 5

with the aid of fact the the CFC gasses that are already interior the ambience could react with the Ozone layer and then the ozone gasoline could spoil down and could now no longer be sensible, it somewhat is only too complicated to take the Ozone gasoline to the holes and 'patch' it up as you may say with the aid of fact the gasoline could only no longer stay there and subsequently react and grow to be ineffective :) desire it helped

Answer 6

I agree with Empanda. Paul Crutzen and associates won the Nobel price for chemistry (see link). It will take many years and the hole will get worse before better (another link below on record size in 2006) due to Ozone destroying chemicals (such as CFCs) taking many years to be removed from the atmosphere, and they are still used in smaller quantities so I don't think we'll ever be rid of a man-made hole until we ban them completely.

Answer 7

since i do not totally understand what the ozone layer is i have often wondered why not just pump ozone into the atmosphere to replace the ozone depleted by hairspray and a/c units. mybe i have a misconception about what the ozone layer is

Answer 8

You know, I'm not exactly sure how it's done but we must be doing something right. The ozone layer is slowly returning to what it once was...although I must say that we may have been better off chancing skin cancer, as it is helping the process of global warming.

Answer 9

Why do you think all the Polish Plumbers are coming Here ?, that Great Public Enemy No 1 -- Tony Blair - is going to try to Impress us by sending a Couple of Dozen of them up to Repair the Holes in the Ozone Layer --- ??????Tone,s good with Holes -- He,s crawled up many of them----

Answer 10

Men destroyed the ozone layer and men have not been able to figure out your question, yet.