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Ozone is a form of oxygen that is a human-made pollutant in the troposphere but a naturally produced, essential component in the stratosphere, which encircles our planet some 6 to 28 miles above the surface. The stratosphere contains a layer of ozone that shields the surface from much of the ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun. If ozone was to disappear from the stratosphere Earth would be uninhabitable for most organisms. The primary cause for this substantial ozone loss is a group of compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs have been used in aerosol cans as propellants, as coolants in air conditioners, and refrigerators, as foam blowing agents for insulation as well as packaging like styrofoam. Other compounds that may attack the ozone include: halons, methyl bromide, methyl chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride.
As CFCs drift up into the atmosphere the UV radiation breaks them down, releasing chlorine. Bromine is released by the breakdown of halons and methyl bromide in the atmosphere. Under certain conditions in the stratosphere, chlorine and bromide are capable of attacking ozone and converting it to oxygen. UV radiation has the potential to penetrate tens of feet into clear ocean water. As we know, the entire marine food chain is based on phytoplankton, which float on or near the top of water bodies.
Phytoplankton are the producers, they are on the first trophic level in the aquatic food chain. Phytoplankton is extremely sensitive to UV levels; scientists have found that phytoplankton decreases mobility, changes in photosynthesis and enzymatic reactions under UV radiation. Studies in Antarctica, directly under the ozone hole, found the rates of phytoplankton production to be depressed relative to similar areas. With a decrease of Phytoplankton in the water other fish will have to rely on other food sources, or they too will begin to decline. Higher levels of ultraviolet radiation could also reduce global plant coverage, thus enhancing climatic change.
Plants have shown direct effects of UV are on photosynthesis and growth. More subtle changes related to UV are a delay in flowering, shift in distribution of leaves, changes in leaf structure, or a change in plant metabolism. The effects of this are wide spread; shifts in plant population and bio-diversity could be dramatically changed. Plants may start to loose ground to neighboring plants. If plants flower later, pollination would be forced to change. Plant leaves may not catch as much carbon dioxide, causing even greater problems.
Loblolly pine indicates retardation of growth and photosynthesis resulting from enhanced levels of ultraviolet rays. With trees and plants becoming more vulnerable to UV rays, animals that live in and around them may be chased out forced to find other living space, therefore encroaching onto land inhabited by other species. If the number of plants and trees declines steadily, the food chain that depends on them with have a steady decline as well. Animals everywhere depend on plant life directly or indirectly. If one trophic level declines, the next level is forced also to decline due to their biomass relations.
A loss of 90 % biomass occurs at each trophic level, if at the first trophic level there is 10, 000 lbs of food energy, and at the second there is 1, 000, if plant life, the producer decreases by 20 percent the effects on all the trophic levels are devastating. Extinction will be on an upward slope, while oxygen levels are decreasing Depletion of the ozone layer allows for more UV rays to hit the earths surface, with no protection from this, and no way for the heat to escape, the result may be even more devastating. The result of this is called global warming. The effects of global warming are far reaching and could be devastating to plant and animal life on earth.
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Research essay sample on Methyl Bromide Uv Radiation
