stratosphere

Examples of stratosphere in the following topics:

• Ozone Depletion

  • Free radicals in the upper stratosphere act as catalysts for ozone decomposition, thereby depleting the ozone layer.
  • These compounds are emitted on Earth's surface and move into the stratosphere.
  • In the stratosphere, absorption of ultraviolet photons results in the photodissociation (breaking apart) of oxygen molecules.
  • Once in the stratosphere, ultraviolet light liberates the Cl and Br atoms from their parent compounds:
  • More complicated mechanisms that lead to ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere have also been been discovered.

• Polar Ozone Holes

  • Chlorofluorocarbons have disrupted stratospheric ozone generation, resulting in a thinning of the ozone layer at the poles.
  • There is a constant cycle of ozone formation and destruction in the stratospheric layer of the atmosphere.
  • CFCs released at the Earth's surface migrated to the stratosphere, where they interrupted the cycle of ozone generation.
  • CFCs have caused a gradual decrease in ozone levels throughout the stratosphere.

• Earth's Atmosphere

  • The atmosphere is further classified into multiple layers by temperature, which include the thermosphere, the mesosphere, the stratosphere, and the troposphere.
  • The next layer, the stratosphere, contains an ozone layer that results from the reaction of ionizing solar radiation with oxygen gas; this ozone layer is responsible for the absorption of UV light.
  • Planes typically fly in the stratosphere.
  • A view of the Earth from space, looking from orbit beyond the exosphere, down through the layers of the thermosphere, mesosphere, and stratosphere, at a thick cloud layer topping the troposphere.

• Air Pollution

  • Decreased stratospheric ozone: a depletion in ozone levels caused by the release of refrigerants, which produce free radicals that catalyze the decomposition of ozone.

• Ozone

  • However, the so-called ozone layer (a portion of the stratosphere with a higher concentration of ozone, from two to eight ppm) is beneficial.