Ozone Layer - What is the Ozone Layer?

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas found in the atmosphere where it absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet light - invisible rays which are harmful to both plant and animal life.

Ozone is found throughout the atmosphere including at ground level, but is mostly (about 90%) found in a band called the ozone layer at about 15 - 30 km above the Earth's surface, in the stratosphere, the height at which larger aircraft fly. It is not really a “layer” at all but one of many gases found in the stratosphere.

The ozone layer is essential for life - until it was formed, about a billion years ago, the only life on Earth was at the bottom of the ocean. It is thought that single celled organisms released oxygen through photosynthesis.

Table of Contents

What is the Ozone Layer?

Destruction of the Ozone Layer - The Causes

The Antartic Ozone Hole

The Montreal Protocol

The Ozone Layer and Climate Change

What You Can Do

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