Why is ozone formed over the equator?

, , Leave a comment

Why is ozone formed over the equator?

Ozone is a form of oxygen. It comprise of 3 oxygen molecules bounded together also known as trioxygen. Ozone has a pungent odor and appears to be colorless. Ã’šÃ‚ But, unlike oxygen, ozone is very uncommon and is naturally formed in the earth’s upper atmosphere called the stratosphere. Although ozone is present in the Earth’s entire atmosphere, there is a greater concentration of it located at the latitudes between 19 to 30 km above the Earth’s surface and is called the ‘ozone layer,. However, ozone also exists in small amounts in the region called the troposphere. Ã’šÃ‚ This ground level ozone is very harmful to us humans because it is basically the byproduct of urban smog or human activities like the gas emitted from cars.

Stratospheric ozone is naturally formed over the equator because it is where the large amount of solar radiation strikes the Earth. The sunlight breaks apart the oxygen particles in the atmosphere which then forms into Ozone. Aside from the formation of ozone in the equatorial belt, the sun also creates the rise of tropospheric air in this area which then drives the ozone particles from the equatorial belt towards the cold Polar Regions. Because of this, the existence of ozone around the equator is less and its photochemical depletion is high. The variation in the amount of ozone that exists in the stratosphere in a given location naturally depends on the season, latitude, weather conditions, and day-to-day basis. It is in the Canadian Arctic and Siberia where the ozone level is at the highest in its normal setting. Stratospheric ozone is very essential to every living organism on Earth, it is where the harmful solar radiation, also known as the ultraviolet rays of the sun, is blocked and filtered. Chemicals like CFCs, or Chlorofluorocarbons, can damage the stratospheric ozone that can lead to damaging the life of every living organism on Earth.

Author: khristine

Facebook Comments
Help us improve. Please rate this article:
 

Leave a Reply