Author: Zach

Staying current for Chapter 2 { Ozone Contents } 2023-05-30. Plants Leave Chemical Fingerprints on an Ozone-Depleting Gas. [https://eos.org/research-spotlights/plants-leave-chemical-fingerprints-on-an-ozone-depleting-gas] By Sarah Stanley, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: Methyl chloride (CH3Cl) is one of the most common chlorine-based gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Along with related chemicals, it depletes the ozone layer, exposing life on the planet to more of the Sun’s ultraviolet […]

Staying current for Chapter 1 { Ozone Contents } 24 December 1997. Ozone Depletion FAQSample Question–Subject: 1.3) How does the composition of the atmosphere change with altitude? (Or, how can CFC’s get up to the stratosphere when they are heavier than air?) Answer: In the earth’s troposphere and stratosphere, most _stable_ chemical species are “well-mixed” – […]

Chapter 11 { Ozone Contents } There is another health problem resulting from changing levels of ozone in the atmosphere, but this involves increasing concentrations of ozone near the ground. Due to its highly reactive nature, breathing ozone is quite harmful. It affects your health and the environment. I. Effects of Tropospheric Ozone On Health […]

Chapter 10 { Ozone Contents } I. Ground Level Ozone Although most of the Earth’s ozone is found in the stratosphere, pollution created by human activity has brought increasing ozone concentrations much closer to home in the air we breathe. Breathing ozone can irritate and inflame the nose, throat, and lungs, and affect the body’s […]

Chapter 9 { Ozone Contents } I. Global Agreements Industrial states and countries took action quickly to curb chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) use starting in 1977. The first global meeting was held in 1985 at the Vienna Convention. Although no formal global actions were agreed upon, the international community supported immediate scientific investigations.  Two years later (1987), […]

Apps for Digital Earth Watch investigations and challenges Images to use with AnalyzingDigitalImages are in the materials lists of each investigation or challenge. Apps for A Changing Cosmos investigations Investigations that require image processing apps are marked with an asterisk in the Table of Contents for A Changing Cosmos. Links to required images are in […]

Chapter 8 { Ozone Contents } Accurate measurements of stratospheric ozone identified the ozone problem in the mid-1980s.  Accurate measurements are still needed to learn more about the complicated atmospheric chemistry involved and to monitor how the ozone layer responds as CFCs are phased out. The longest continuous record of ozone measurements extends almost 80 […]

Chapter 7 { Ozone Contents } I. The National Ozone Expedition (NOZE) 1896 When Susan Solomon stood on the frozen wastes of Antarctica in the Spring of 1986 and watched her associates release a research balloon, she felt the heavy responsibility of being the leader of what was really a wilderness expedition. The group faced […]

Chapter 6 { Ozone Contents } Joe Farman shook his head. “Oh, no! Again—the same problem.”  He had checked and rechecked the instrument, a spectrophotometer, which can accurately and precisely measure the intensity of a particular wavelength or color of light. Last year, back in England, the instrument had been completely rebuilt. It was now […]

Chapter 5 { Ozone Contents } I. The Scientific Investigation Jim Lovelock is an unusual person in today’s science community. He does not work at a university nor is he part of any business organization. He works out of a small laboratory in his home in the quiet countryside of Wilshire, England, and he works […]