Most ozone (about 90%) is found in the stratosphere, which begins about 10–16 kilometers (6–10 miles) above Earth’s surface and extends up to about 50 kilo- meters (31 miles) altitude. The stratospheric region with the highest ozone concentration is commonly known as the “ozone layer” (see Figure Q1-2).
At what altitude is the ozone layer?
The ozone layer lies approximately 15-40 kilometers (10-25 miles) above the Earth’s surface, in the stratosphere.
Which temperature zone of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere.
What altitude is the atmosphere?
It extends from Earth’s surface to an average height of about 12 km (7.5 mi; 39,000 ft), although this altitude varies from about 9 km (5.6 mi; 30,000 ft) at the geographic poles to 17 km (11 mi; 56,000 ft) at the Equator, with some variation due to weather.Where is ozone in the atmosphere?
Ozone occurs both in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be good or bad, depending on where it is found. Called stratospheric ozone, good ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, where it forms a protective layer that shields us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
How is stratospheric ozone created?
Stratospheric ozone is formed naturally through the interaction of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation with molecular oxygen (O2). The “ozone layer,” approximately 6 through 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, reduces the amount of harmful UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface.
Why stratospheric ozone is found at the maximum concentration at 25 km altitude?
At this height the relation production/destruction is maximum. Photochemical and transport processes in the earth’s stratosphere are studied. The effects of trace constituents such as water vapor and nitrogen oxides on stratospheric ozone distribution are emphasized.
How many atmospheres are there?
Earth’s atmosphere has five major and several secondary layers. From lowest to highest, the major layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.What can be found in the thermosphere?
In the upper thermosphere, atomic oxygen (O), atomic nitrogen (N), and helium (He) are the main components of air. Much of the X-ray and UV radiation from the Sun is absorbed in the thermosphere.
Why does 75 of the atmospheric mass lies within the troposphere?The troposphere contains 75 percent of atmosphere’s mass- on an average day the weight of the molecules in the air is14. … Water vapor plays a major role in regulating air temperature because it absorbs solar energy and thermal radiation from the planet’s surface.
Article first time published onWhat is the approximate altitude of the Mesopause in the atmosphere?
The mesopause, at an altitude of 80–90 km (50–56 mi), separates the mesosphere from the thermosphere—the second-outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere.
What is the function of the stratospheric ozone layer?
Stratospheric ozone is a naturally-occurring gas that filters the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This is typically regarded as ‘good’ ozone since it reduces the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. A diminished ozone layer allows more radiation to reach the Earth’s surface.
In which two temperature zones of the atmosphere does the temperature increase with altitude?
Temperature increases as you gain altitude in the stratosphere and the thermosphere. Temperature decreases as you gain altitude in the troposphere and mesosphere.
How is tropospheric ozone different from stratospheric ozone?
The key difference between stratospheric ozone and tropospheric ozone is that stratospheric ozone concentration is very high, whereas tropospheric ozone concentration is low. … Ozone gas in the stratosphere is formed from the reaction between atomic oxygen with molecular oxygen.
What is the approximate concentration of O3 in the atmosphere?
The ozone layer contains less than 10 parts per million of ozone, while the average ozone concentration in Earth’s atmosphere as a whole is about 0.3 parts per million.
Where is stratospheric ozone in highest and lowest concentrations across the globe and why?
Because the sunlight (including UV) is most intense in the tropics, you might expect the most ozone over that region. In fact, however, the average ozone concentrations throughout the year are lowest in the tropics, because the ozone in the stratosphere doesn’t stay where it is formed.
How is ozone formed in the troposphere?
Tropospheric ozone is formed by the interaction of sunlight, particularly ultraviolet light, with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which are emitted by automobile tailpipes and smokestacks. In urban areas, high ozone levels usually occur during warm summer months.
Why the concentration of ozone varies with altitude?
The concentration of ozone varies with altitude. … Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Without ozone, the Sun’s intense UV radiation would sterilize the Earth’s surface.
How is ozone formed class 10th?
CBSE NCERT Notes Class 10 Biology Our Environment. Ozone is a molecule formed by three atoms of oxygen. … The UV radiations split apart some molecular oxygen (O2) into free oxygen (O) atoms which then combine with the molecular oxygen (O2) to form ozone (O3).
What are the reactions for stratospheric ozone formation and stratospheric ozone depletion?
The term ozone depletion means that the destruction of O3 exceeds the creation of O3. When present together in the stratosphere, chlorine (Cl) and ozone quickly react to produce chlorine oxide. Bromine can also act as a catalyst to destroy stratospheric ozone.
Why is ozone not present in troposphere?
Ozone production in the troposphere is much less efficient than in the stratosphere because the intensity of ultraviolet sunlight is greatly reduced. Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning lead to elevated levels of tropospheric carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides.
What is the relationship between temperature and altitude in the thermosphere?
In the thermosphere, temperature increases at altitude increases, to as high as 1,727°C.
What is the altitude of mesosphere?
The mesosphere is a layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The mesosphere is directly above the stratosphere and below the thermosphere. It extends from about 50 to 85 km (31 to 53 miles) above our planet.
What is tropopause in geography?
The tropopause is the boundary that demarcates the troposphere from the stratosphere, and is the part of the atmosphere where there occurs an abrupt change in the environmental lapse rate (ELR), from a positive rate in the troposphere to a negative rate in the stratosphere.
How are the troposphere stratosphere and thermosphere important?
The troposphere contains 75% of the atmospheric mass as well as the oxygen and carbon dioxide plants and animals need to survive. The stratosphere’s ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation which is harmful to living organisms. The thermosphere absorbs solar radiation and helps to regulate the Earth’s temperature.
How much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide exists in the Earth’s atmosphere at a concentration of approximately 0.04 percent (400 parts per million) by volume.
What characteristics differentiate the troposphere from the other layers of the atmosphere?
The lowest atmospheric layer is the troposphere, and the layer just above that is the stratosphere. Factors that define these as two separate layers include differences in air pressure, temperature, temperature gradient, wind speed and wind direction.
Why does troposphere temperature decrease with altitude?
In the troposphere, the temperature generally decreases with altitude. The reason is that the troposphere’s gases absorb very little of the incoming solar radiation. Instead, the ground absorbs this radiation and then heats the tropospheric air by conduction and convection.
What contains 75 percent of the atmospheric gases?
Troposphere. The lowest layer is known as the troposphere, which makes up approximately 75% of the total mass of the atmosphere and contains 99% of the atmosphere’s water. The troposphere extends up to approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the surface and is the layer where atmospheric gases are most concentrated.
Which gas constitutes 75% of the atmosphere?
Earth’s atmosphere is composed of about 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, 0.9 percent argon, and 0.1 percent other gases. Trace amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and neon are some of the other gases that make up the remaining 0.1 percent.
Does the thermosphere increase or decrease with altitude?
The temperature of the thermosphere gradually increases with height. Unlike the stratosphere beneath it, wherein a temperature inversion is due to the absorption of radiation by ozone, the inversion in the thermosphere occurs due to the extremely low density of its molecules.
