Post by IBDaMann on Aug 29, 2020 5:15:03 GMT
ABSTRACT: The Ozone is not being depleted, nor has it ever been in any danger of being depleted. The sun creates our atmosphere's ozone (obviously where it is daytime) within the stratosphere by blasting the earth with high-energy ultraviolet (UV) electromagnetic radiation which is absorbed by oxygen molecules (O2) causing them to split into individual oxygen atoms (O). These individual oxygen atoms quickly bond with a nearby oxygen molecule forming ozone (O3). At night, without UV energy to maintain the O3, the lone oxygen molecule separates from the ozone leaving the O2 as it was and then just waits to collide and bond with another individual oxygen atom to form another O2. Ergo, ozone is created by the sun during the day and reforms back into O2 at night. Even if humans were able to somehow zap all of the atmosphere's ozone back into O2 and leave the atmosphere with no ozone whatsoever, within 24 hours, the sun will have recreated all the same ozone that there was previously. O2 and UV create ozone. When the UV is turned off, the ozone reverts back to O2.
The process described above is governed by the chemistry model specifying the photochemical process called the Chapman Mechanism. The specifics are detailed below. Unfortunately, this topic is also abused by politicians and activists for political purposes, often to generate fear and panic of a depleting ozone ... which is not possible. The oxygen that absorbs UV and becomes ozone occurs in the stratosphere. It is this ozone that protects us from the dangerous UV energy.
However, there is also some extraneous ozone that wanders down into the troposphere. This O3 is not protecting the earth but is nonetheless susceptible to man-made chemicles that cause it to rapidly revert back to O2, just as it would were it nighttime. Dishonest people intentionally conflate this extraneous tropospheric O3 with the stratospheric ozone protecting the planet and fear-monger imaginary dangers of man-made chemicals that "destroy the ozone." This is simply not true and should be ignored. No public policy should be based on this misinformation. Unfortunately, Wikipedia has joined the fear-mongers and has a full wiki dedicated to this utterly dishonest conflation, creating ominous terminology such as "anthropogenic ozone depletion" and claims of Global Warming acceleration, all pretending to be science but is actually political propaganda and disinformation.
Stratospheric ozone is created (1 MB Quicktime)and destroyed (1 MB Quicktime) primarily by ultraviolet radiation as molecules of ordinary oxygen (O2) are split and the free oxygen atoms can then combine with oxygen molecules (O2) to form ozone (O3) molecules.
O2 + UV light -> 2 O
O + O2 + M -> O3 + M (where M indicates conservation of energy and momentum)
The same characteristic of ozone that makes it so valuable, its ability to absorb a range of ultraviolet radiation, also causes its destruction.
Ozone production is driven by UV radiation of wavelengths less than 240 nm. Ozone dissociation typically produces atomic oxygen that is stable when exposed to longer wavelengths, up to 320 nm, and shorter wavelengths of 400 to 700 nm. Longer wavelength photons penetrate deeper into the atmosphere, creating regions of ozone production and destruction. When an ozone molecule absorbs even low energy ultraviolet, it splits into an ordinary oxygen molecule and a free oxygen atom.
O3 + UV, visible light -> O + O2
The free oxygen atom may then combine with an oxygen molecule, creating another ozone molecule, or it may take an oxygen atom from an existing ozone molecule to create two ordinary oxygen molecules.
O + O2 -> O3 or O3 + O -> O2 + O2
Processes of ozone production and destruction, initiated by ultraviolet radiation, are often referred to as "Chapman Reactions."
Most O3 destruction takes place through catalytic processes rather than Chapman Reactions. Ozone is a highly unstable molecule that readily donates its extra oxygen molecule to free radical species such as nitrogen, hydrogen, bromine, and chlorine. These compounds naturally occur in the stratosphere, released from sources such as soil, water vapor, and the oceans.
O3 + X -> XO + O2 ( where X may be O, NO, OH, Br or Cl)
The process described above is governed by the chemistry model specifying the photochemical process called the Chapman Mechanism. The specifics are detailed below. Unfortunately, this topic is also abused by politicians and activists for political purposes, often to generate fear and panic of a depleting ozone ... which is not possible. The oxygen that absorbs UV and becomes ozone occurs in the stratosphere. It is this ozone that protects us from the dangerous UV energy.
However, there is also some extraneous ozone that wanders down into the troposphere. This O3 is not protecting the earth but is nonetheless susceptible to man-made chemicles that cause it to rapidly revert back to O2, just as it would were it nighttime. Dishonest people intentionally conflate this extraneous tropospheric O3 with the stratospheric ozone protecting the planet and fear-monger imaginary dangers of man-made chemicals that "destroy the ozone." This is simply not true and should be ignored. No public policy should be based on this misinformation. Unfortunately, Wikipedia has joined the fear-mongers and has a full wiki dedicated to this utterly dishonest conflation, creating ominous terminology such as "anthropogenic ozone depletion" and claims of Global Warming acceleration, all pretending to be science but is actually political propaganda and disinformation.
The Chapman Mechanism
Stratospheric ozone is created (1 MB Quicktime)and destroyed (1 MB Quicktime) primarily by ultraviolet radiation as molecules of ordinary oxygen (O2) are split and the free oxygen atoms can then combine with oxygen molecules (O2) to form ozone (O3) molecules.
O2 + UV light -> 2 O
O + O2 + M -> O3 + M (where M indicates conservation of energy and momentum)
The same characteristic of ozone that makes it so valuable, its ability to absorb a range of ultraviolet radiation, also causes its destruction.
Ozone production is driven by UV radiation of wavelengths less than 240 nm. Ozone dissociation typically produces atomic oxygen that is stable when exposed to longer wavelengths, up to 320 nm, and shorter wavelengths of 400 to 700 nm. Longer wavelength photons penetrate deeper into the atmosphere, creating regions of ozone production and destruction. When an ozone molecule absorbs even low energy ultraviolet, it splits into an ordinary oxygen molecule and a free oxygen atom.
O3 + UV, visible light -> O + O2
The free oxygen atom may then combine with an oxygen molecule, creating another ozone molecule, or it may take an oxygen atom from an existing ozone molecule to create two ordinary oxygen molecules.
O + O2 -> O3 or O3 + O -> O2 + O2
Processes of ozone production and destruction, initiated by ultraviolet radiation, are often referred to as "Chapman Reactions."
Most O3 destruction takes place through catalytic processes rather than Chapman Reactions. Ozone is a highly unstable molecule that readily donates its extra oxygen molecule to free radical species such as nitrogen, hydrogen, bromine, and chlorine. These compounds naturally occur in the stratosphere, released from sources such as soil, water vapor, and the oceans.
O3 + X -> XO + O2 ( where X may be O, NO, OH, Br or Cl)