Question 65 of 66
Q."Ozone is a natural Sun-block" - Discuss.
Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC (DGE) Board 2018Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★
98% · 65/66 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs the sun's harmful UV rays, protecting life like a natural sunscreen; its depletion by CFCs lets more UV through, causing skin cancer, cataract and ecological damage.
Ozone (O3) is a form of oxygen with three atoms per molecule. Although harmful as a pollutant near the ground, in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere, about 15–35 km up) it forms the ozone layer, which is vital for life.
Why ozone is a natural sun-block:
- The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation, of which UV-B and UV-C are especially harmful to living things.
- The stratospheric ozone layer absorbs the bulk of this incoming UV radiation. In doing so it acts exactly like a sunscreen (sun-block), letting visible light through but filtering out the damaging UV before it reaches the earth's surface. This protects humans, animals, plants and microbes from UV damage.
Ozone depletion:
- Human-made chemicals, chiefly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from refrigerants, aerosols and foams, rise to the stratosphere. There UV light frees chlorine atoms, each of which destroys many ozone molecules, thinning the layer — the 'ozone hole', notably over Antarctica.
- With less ozone, more UV-B reaches the ground.
Harmful effects of increased UV (i.e. of losing the sun-block):
- In humans: skin cancer, sunburn, cataract of the eye, ageing of skin and weakening of the immune system.
- In plants: reduced growth and productivity. …
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