Posted by QuickReadAbout.com Staff in Very few people will deny that global warming climate change is one of the most topical issues facing this world today. We have also heard how global warming climate change can affect the ozone layer.
Scientists believe that as greenhouse gas emissions continue to heat up the earth’s atmosphere, it will affect the ozone layers also known as the stratosphere. The stratosphere is comprised of several levels, while it is in itself the second layer of the earth’s atmosphere. The stratosphere is found between the mesosphere, which is just above it, and the troposphere below it. The stratosphere has different temperatures, and the higher you go up in the layers of stratosphere the warmer the temperatures become. The stratosphere is heated by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. However scientists now believe that global warming climate change will have negative affects upon the ozone layer (the upper level of the stratosphere). According to current thinking, the ozone layer will become colder and because of this development, the cooler layers would impede the natural process of the ozone to repair itself by slowing it down.
We have known for years that Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), found in many industrial and household products, though inflammable and considered safe products, have actually contributed to the depletion of the ozone layers. These compounds have been in circulation in aerosol sprays, coolants for refrigeration units, and other industrial applications since the 1930’s. Scientists found evidence that CFC’s were affecting the ozone layer back in 1973, but only confirmation of what it actually did came through in 1985, when it was discovered that springtime at the north and south poles resulted in lower levels of ozone.
Now such agencies such as NASA, predict that in less than thirty years time, global warming climate change will cause far more depletion of the ozone layer than even the chlorofluorocarbons.
The ozone layer protects the earth from the strong ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is vital to human survival on this planet, and now because of global warming climate change, the hole in the ozone above the Antarctic regions has grown to three times the geographical size of the USA. It is still growing bigger as time goes on. Furthermore, with regards to the North Polar Region, sixty percent of the ozone layer has been lost over the Artic Circle during one winter (1999-2000) alone.
More startling news has surfaced as the hole in the ozone layer has traveled to a somewhat big city. Punta Arenas, Chile, with a population of 120, 000 have been exposed to this global warming climate change disaster due to ozone depletion. These high levels of radiation now able to penetrate through the hole in the ozone are dangerous and have been associated with the higher numbers of cancers in animals and humans alike.