The stratosphere is not a good place to be. First, the ozone in the stratosphere, which protects us from biologically destructive solar ultraviolet light, exists at such high levels that the air itself is toxic. Second, even this toxic air is much too thin for normal breathing.

The stratosphere is very dry; air there contains little water vapor. Because of this, few clouds are found in this layer; almost all clouds occur in the lower, more humid troposphere. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are the exception. PSCs appear in the lower stratosphere near the poles in winter.

The stratosphere contains approximately 19% of the earth’s total atmospheric gases. 90% of the ozone layer is found in the stratosphere’s upper crust. This ozone layer is important for man’s survival, and for the survival of life on earth, as it absorbs the UV radiation from the sun that would otherwise be deadly.

The stratosphere contains roughly 20 percent of the atmosphere’s mass. Because bacterial life can survive in the stratosphere, this layer of the atmosphere belongs to the biosphere. Some species of birds have even been reported to fly in the lower levels of the stratosphere.

Four Facts About the Stratosphere

• Stratosphere Facts and Stratosphere Definition. The stratosphere altitude is still high, though.
• Temperature Increases With Height.
• The Stratosphere Is Where Jets Like to Fly.
• The Ozone Layer Is in the Stratosphere.
• Swans, Cranes and Vultures Can Fly in the Stratosphere.

The stratosphere is where you’ll find the very important ozone layer. The ozone layer helps protect us from ultraviolet radiation (UV) from the sun. In fact, the ozone layer absorbs most of the UV radiation the sun sends to us. Life as we know it wouldn’t be possible without this layer of protection.

“Mount Everest protrudes into the stratosphere, and most of the year the summit is buffeted by winds of over 100 miles per hour that will kill a climber in minutes or even hurtle them into the void,” All told Popular Mechanics.

Essentially the ozone layer absorbs the Sun’s most harmful UV rays – 98% of them in fact. This is why it’s so crucial that damage to it is limited, otherwise problems such as skin cancer could be much more likely. In fact, if there was no ozone layer at all, we wouldn’t be able to live on Earth.

An April 27 India Times article says that an uncommonly large hole in the ozone layer appeared above the Arctic and healed itself in April. Scientists at the Copernicus’ Atmospheric Monitoring Service tracking the “rather unusual” ozone hole announced April 23 on Twitter that it had healed.

Life couldn’t exist without this protective ozone, which is also called the “ozone layer.” The sun gives off light, heat, and other types of radiation. Too much UV (ultraviolet) radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and harm plants and animals.

The ozone layer’s status today And at the end of 2018, the United Nations confirmed in a scientific assessment that the ozone layer is recovering, projecting that it would heal completely in the (non-polar) Northern Hemisphere by the 2030s, followed by the Southern Hemisphere in the 2050s and polar regions by 2060.

Ozone layer depletion causes increased UV radiation levels at the Earth’s surface, which is damaging to human health. Negative effects include increases in certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders.

“The unprecedented 2020 Northern Hemisphere ozone hole has come to an end,” CAMS researchers tweeted on April 23. Meanwhile, the annual Antarctic ozone hole, which has existed for roughly four decades, will remain a seasonal reality for the foreseeable future.

This natural sunscreen, known as Earth’s ozone layer, absorbs and blocks the majority of the sun’s UV radiation. Without this barrier in place, all of the radiation would reach Earth, damaging the DNA of plants and animals, like us humans. Without plants, the food chain would collapse.

The ozone layer is expected to return to normal levels by about 2050. But, it is very important that the world comply with the Montreal Protocol; delays in ending production and use of ozone-depleting substances could cause additional damage to the ozone layer and prolong its recovery.

Without the Ozone layer in place, radiation from the sun would reach earth directly, damaging the DNA of plants and animals (Including humans). Skin cancer rates would be on the rise. Without plants, the food chain would collapse. Herbivores would starve.

The stratospheric ozone layer absorbs the biologically damaging wavelengths of ultraviolet (UV) rays but in the 1970s, Australia’s ozone layer was severely thinned as a consequence of heavy use of ozone-depleting, substances such as chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) and hydro-chloroflurocarbons (HCFCs).

We don’t hear much about the hole in the ozone layer anymore. That’s because we’ve all but fixed it, thanks to consumer choices and a massive international agreement called the Montreal Protocol.

II. Ozone Depletion. When chlorine and bromine atoms come into contact with ozone in the stratosphere, they destroy ozone molecules. One chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere.

As explained above, the primary cause of ozone depletion is the presence of chlorine-containing source gases (primarily CFCs and related halocarbons). In the presence of UV light, these gases dissociate, releasing chlorine atoms, which then go on to catalyze ozone destruction.

Carbon dioxide has no direct effect on ozone, unlike CFCs and HFCs. Higher levels of carbon dioxide, however, do have an indirect effect on the ozone layer in the stratosphere. But near the poles and in the upper stratosphere, CO2 is increasing the amount of ozone by preventing nitrogen oxide from breaking it down.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and halons destroy the earth’s protective ozone layer, which shields the earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) rays generated from the sun. CFCs and HCFCs also warm the lower atmosphere of the earth, changing global climate.

Past and future carbon dioxide That little bit of extra sunlight caused a little bit of warming. As the oceans warmed, they outgassed carbon dioxide—like a can of soda going flat in the heat of a summer day. The extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere amplified the initial warming.

While some extra of the Sun’s UV rays slip through the ozone hole, their net effect is to cool the stratosphere more than they warm the troposphere. The ozone hole is not causing global warming, but it is affecting atmospheric circulation.