How does ozone get destroyed

But it's not just with ozone that CFCs wreak havoc, they're also a potent greenhouse gas. In research published in the journal Nature Geoscience linked the ban to a 'pause' or slowdown in temperature increases since the mid s.

Ozone Layer. Destruction of the Ozone Layer - The Causes. Destruction of the Ozone Layer - The Causes Chlorofluorocarbons CFCs have been identified as the main cause of the destruction to the ozone layer, but there are also compounds containing bromine, other halogen compounds and also nitrogen oxides which cause damage.

Read More: The Effects. They were also used to make Styrofoam. And they were capable of breaking apart ozone molecules, causing the breakdown of ozone in the stratosphere to happen faster than it could be built back up. This animation shows the destruction of an ozone molecule by a chlorine atom. UV radiation breaks a chlorine atom off a CFC molecule.

The chlorine atom breaks an ozone molecule apart into an oxygen molecule O 2 and a chlorine monoxide molecule ClO. A free oxygen atom bumps the chlorine atom out, forming an oxygen molecule.

This leaves the chlorine atom free to attack and destroy another ozone molecule. Once in the atmosphere, CFCs drift slowly upward to the stratosphere, where they are broken up by ultraviolet radiation, releasing chlorine atoms, which are able to destroy ozone molecules.

The seasons have an impact on the Antarctic ozone hole. During the dark winter, air swirls in a vortex with very low temperatures that cause icy clouds to form. Reactions on the surface of icy cloud particles release chlorine from chemical compounds like CFCs, into a form that reacts with ozone.

When sunlight returns in the spring, the chlorine begins to destroy ozone. The Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to address the global problem of ozone destruction, was signed by more than 70 countries in Since the agreement was signed, these targets have been strengthened to call for the elimination of the most dangerous CFCs by and for regulation of other ozone-depleting chemicals.

Scientists detected the problem and identified the cause of the problem. Their evidence convinced governments around the world to take action to help stop the problem.

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