Ozone Protection
- Details
- Category: Combat O3 Depletion
The Ozone "Hole" in Southern Hemisphere (2011)
Source: Physorg.com/ NASA
Why do we have to protect the ozone layer?
Atmospheric ozone layer has a very important role in protecting the living organisms on earth, it filters out the hazardous UV radiation (UV-C) from the sun. Without ozone in the upper atmosphere living organism can easily get sun burns, mammals get cataract and other numerous potential health risks, perhaps develop skin cancer in later stage.
What causes the ozone hole?
Ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere is due to the man-made chemical, chlorofluorocarbons, CFC (a class of chloro-, fluoro- organic chemical e.g. Cl3FC), which was widely used in the refrigerators and aerosols. The CFC splits to halogens in the upper atmosphere and the halogens derivatives block the ozone formation; as a result, the concentration of the ozone becomes so thin that it no longer be able to stop the UV passes through the atmosphere.
An Idea of Healing
- Details
- Category: Combat O3 Depletion
Since the "wound" of the ozone hole is so high above (more than 3,000 meter above the ground), the area of the hole is so large and the concentration of the CFC is very dilute; anything we do must be cost effective and inexpensive.
Our idea is to send a solar power unmanned aircraft to the sky from New Zealand; the aircraft will carry a tank of a mixture of TiO2 and Ca(OH)2 and spray the mixture in the destination area.
Hopefully, the TiO2 particles increase the rate of CFC decomposition and the calcium hydroxide is able to combine with the halogen to form calcium halogen (e.g. CaF, CaCl) and settling down on earth.
Article 1: 2011-10-ozone-depletion-bigger.pdf
The Ozone Hole
- Details
- Category: Combat O3 Depletion
The concentration of ozone (O3) in the upper atmosphere has been depleting since 1980's; some of the UV can reach the surface of the earth and cause damages of health to human and animals. The articles attached below state the current status (2011) of the ozone layer. Although, the ozone "hole" is healing up by itself, it is so huge (10.05 million square mile, compare to the area of USA, approx. 3.79 million square miles or 9.83 million km2) and the rate of decay of the CFC is so slow (half life of some of the CFC are approximately from few years to over one hundred years) that there is nothing we can do but wait? If we choose to wait, the duration could take more than a century, can we do something to speed it up?