We"re all guilty of it in one way or another, there's no way to deny it. You may not be as bad as others, but I know you've contributed to this problem almost every single day of your life. Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Sure, you've thought about quitting, but who hasn't? That's why I"m writing this paper--to give some helpful advice on ways to cut back. Your kids will thank me later. .
Pollution is a major problem caused by everyone on this planet. Its harmful effects are contributing to the fact that ozone is being lost at nearly all latitudes outside the tropics. This depletion of the ozone layer has long-term effects that are harmful to us all. Countless studies have shown that the gaping, man-made hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica (and just recently over the Arctic), has hit record proportions for this time of year and is getting bigger as we speak! It was first noticed about 20 years ago, as a minute problem, but today at just short of 10.81 million square miles wide, the hole has historically peaked in size and is continuously in motion. .
Ozone forms a layer in the stratosphere, thinnest in the tropics (around the equator) and denser towards the poles. The amount of ozone above a point on the earth's surface is measured in Dobson units. It is created when ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) strikes the stratosphere, splitting oxygen molecules into atomic oxygen. The atomic oxygen quickly combines with further oxygen molecules to form ozone. The ozone isn't very stable however, so if a high-energy light ray, such as ultraviolet-B (UV-B), strikes an ozone molecule, it will break down. .
A small band between nine and twenty-two miles high in the stratosphere is what we call the ozone layer. It is very sensitive, and ozone is rare even in the ozone layer. For every ten million molecules of air, two million are breathable, and only three are actually ozone. Yet thankfully, this small amount of ozone is enough to prevent the harmful UV-B radiation from reaching the earth's surface.
