Importance of ozone layer :
- The ozone shields the surface of the earth from ultraviolet UV radiation from the sun.
- These radiations are highly damaging as they can cause cancer in both plants and animals, damage to eyes and immune system.
- They can also lead to variations in global rainfall, ecological disturbances and dwingling of global food suppliers.
Explanation:
Formation of ozone layer : ozone at the higher level of the atmosphere is a product of UV radiations acting on oxygen O2 molecule. The higher energy UV radiations split apart some molecular oxygen( O2) into free oxygen (O) atoms.
Depletion od ozone layer : The amount of ozone in the atmosphere began to drop sharply in the 1980's . This decrease has been linked to synthetic chemicals like cholorofluorocarbons ( CFC's ) which are used as refrigerants and in fire extinguishers.
