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Definition: ozone layer from The Penguin Dictionary of Science

The layer of ➤ozone in the upper atmosphere that protects life on Earth from much of the harmful effect of ➤ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.


ozone layer

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
or ozonosphere, region of the stratosphere containing relatively high concentrations of ozone , located at altitudes of 12–30 mi (19–48 km) above the earth's surface. Ozone in the ozone layer is formed by the action of solar ultraviolet light on oxygen. The ozone layer prevents most ultraviolet (UV) and other high-energy radiation from penetrating to the earth's surface but does allow through sufficient ultraviolet rays to support the activation of vitamin D in humans. The full radiation, if unhindered by this filtering effect, would destroy animal tissue. Higher levels of radiation resulting from the depletion of the ozone layer have been linked with increases in skin cancers and cataracts and have been implicated in the decline of certain amphibian species. In 1974 scientists warned that certain industrial chemicals, e.g., chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and to a lesser extent, halons and carbon tetrachloride, could migrate to the stratosphere. There, sunlight could free the chlorine or…
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Full text Article ozone layer

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
or ozonosphere, region of the stratosphere containing relatively high concentrations of ozone , located at altitudes of 12–30 mi (19–48 km) above the earth's surface. Ozone in the ozone layer is formed by the action of solar ultraviolet light on oxygen. The ozone layer prevents most ultraviolet (UV) …
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Full text Article ozone layer

From The Macquarie Dictionary
a region in the outer portion of the stratosphere, where atmospheric ozone (O 3 ) is concentrated. The ozone layer is the layer of ozone which settles at between 15 and 30 kilometres altitude and protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation. Stratospheric ozone is formed by the stable form of…
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Full text Article ozone layer

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Region in the upper atmosphere , about 9–22 mi (15–35 km) high, with significant concentrations of ozone , formed by the effect of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation on oxygen and also present in trace quantities elsewhere in Earth’s atmosphere. Ozone strongly absorbs solar UV radiation, causing the…
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Full text Article ozone layer

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Term for the presence of the gas ozone in the upper atmosphere which shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. In fact, most of the ozone is spread out over layers of the stratosphere spanning around 10 km/6.2 mi in height. A continent-sized area of ozone depletion, knownas the ‘ozone hole’, …
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Full text Article The Ozone Layer

From The Visual Guides: Understanding Weather and The Environment Full text Article THE ENVIRONMENT
Description Time Total Time Ozone is an atmospheric gas concentrated at an altitude of between 20 and 30 kilometers. 00:02 - 00:07 00:01:25 It forms an envelope around Earth known as the ozone layer. 00:08 - 00:13 Ozone is a blue-colored gas whose molecules are composed of three oxygen atoms. 00:14…
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Full text Article ozone layer

From Environmental History and Global Change: A Dictionary of Environmental History
Zone in the atmosphere 21-26 km above the earth’s surface which absorbs much of the incoming solar ultraviolet radiation. Ozone forms naturally in the upper atmosphere by the action of UV solar radiation splitting O 2 molecules into single O atoms which combine with other O 2 molecules to form O 3…
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Northern Hemisphere
In 1985, scientists discovered that the ozone layer was not being depleted gradually across the planet, but rapidly and seasonally in one particular area: the Antarctic. The amplified impact of CFCs in Antarctica is a result of the unique meteorology of that region. During the southern winter the…
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Full text Article Ozone: Thinning of the Ozone Layer

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
The ozone layer The atmosphere consists of a number of gases, the most important of which from the point of view of life on Earth is oxygen. It is a by-product of plant metabolism, it is essential to the metabolism of animals, and it also takes part in an important reaction in the stratosphere. What…
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Full text Article MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER

From Encyclopedia of Historical Treaties and Alliances
TREATY AT A GLANCE Completed September 16, 1987, at Montreal, Quebec; entered into force January 1, 1989 Signatories Initially, the 24 nations attending the conference; as of summer 2005, 46 nations are signatories and 189 are party to the protocol Overview In September 1987 representatives of 24…
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Chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs)–gaseous and liquid compounds of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon-were originally synthesized in the 1890s. Then, beginning in 1928, variants of these compounds, marketed under the trade name Freon, were developed to replace dangerous chemicals being employed as commercial…
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