How Ozone Depletion Can Have Adverse Consequences on Animals and Plants

Ozone Depletion
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Ozone Depletion
The ozone layer refers to the earth’s stratosphere, which comprises high levels of ozone that protect animals and plants from the harmful sun’s ultraviolet radiations. Indeed, it is crucial, and without this layer, it would be challenging to live on earth due to increased rates of crops damage and skin cancer. The atmosphere has several layers. The lowest layer is known as the troposphere, which extends from the surface of the earth to about 10 kilometers (6 miles) in altitude. Stratosphere follows, which continues from 10 kilometers to 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the earth’s surface. The ozone layer is found in the stratosphere and extends from 15 kilometers to 30 kilometers. Ozone molecules are formed constantly and damaged. They are essential since they absorb the sun’s radiations and prevent them from reaching the surface. The primary aim of this paper is to show how ozone depletion can have adverse consequences on animals and plants by using Kira Walker’s “Back in the 1990s, the Hole in the Planet’s Ozone Layer was a Pressing Global Crisis – If we Had Ignored it, Today there Would be Several” published in BBC News on March 22, 2022.
Jonathan Shanklin, a British Antarctic Survey meteorologist, was the first person to identify the thinning of the ozone layer in the 1970s using Dobson spectrophotometers, which are instruments used to measure the atmospheric ozone changes (Walker, 2022). Figure 1 below shows the ozone layer in the stratosphere.
Figure 1
Ozone Layer in the Stratosphere.


Source: /ozone-layer-protection/basic-ozone-layer-science#:~:text=II.-,Ozone%20Depletion,than%20it%20is%20naturally%20created.
As shown in Figure 1, the troposphere is the atmospheric layer where numerous human activities take place. Shanklin’s observations in 1984 were clear that the ozone layer above Antarctica’s Halley Bay had lost a third of its thickness. His discovery was called the ozone hole. Shanklin together with his colleagues Brian Gardiner and Joe Farman published their findings, which triggered more scientific studies and speculations about ozone depletion (Walker, 2022). These researchers linked ozone layer damage with human-made chemical compounds known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in cooling devices and aerosols. This news spread worldwide, and it was projected that the ozone layer destruction would have adverse impacts on humans, animals, plants, and the ecosystem. That is the point where the government and other relevant stakeholders came together to perform scientific investigations on how to prevent ozone depletion and safeguard life.
In particular, ozone layer depletion refers to the gradual decline of the earth’s ozone layer that is caused by chemical compounds from human activities. Figure 2 depicts how ozone depletion causes ultraviolet radiation to penetrate the surface of the earth.
Figure 2
Ozone Depletion.


Source: https://byjus.com/biology/ozone-layer-depletion/.
Figure 2 depicts how ultraviolet radiations from the sun are blocked by the ozone layer that exists in the stratosphere. The region marked red shows what happens when the ozone layer is depleted. The ultraviolet radiations from the sun penetrate the earth’s surface. Chlorine and bromine atoms destroy ozone molecules. When these substances are released into the atmosphere due to emissions of greenhouse gases, they can lead to ozone depletion, posing dangers to animals and plants’ lives. For instance, based on a 2021 report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one atom of chlorine can damage more than 100,000 ozone molecules (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021). As such, air pollution where compounds of bromine and chlorine are released can cause the destruction of the ozone layer faster than it is created naturally.
Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) include CFCs, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, methyl bromide, and halons (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021). When released into the atmosphere, these pollutants eventually get into the stratosphere, a process that might take several years. Walker makes it clear that a global action to prevent ozone depletion was implemented in 1977 (Walker, 2022). The ban on CFCs, which were used as aerosol propellants, occurred. However, natural activities, such as volcanic eruptions, can have an adverse effect on the ozone layer. For instance, in 1991, the Mount Pinatubo eruption increased the chlorine concentrations in the stratosphere, leading to ozone depletion (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021). In addition, the Montreal Protocol that was adopted in 1987 has significantly helped to reduce ozone depletion by phasing out all chemicals that deplete this layer. The graph below portrays the atmospheric measurements of CFCs’ emissions and their adherence to the Montreal Protocol.
Figure 3
Atmospheric Measurements of CFCs versus the Expected Compliance with the Montreal Protocol.


Source: https://theconversation.com/eastern-china-pinpointed-as-source-of-rogue-ozone-depleting-emissions-117505.
As depicted in Figure 3, the ozone layer has been stabilized in the last few decades since it has been monitored regularly (Krummel et al., 2019). CFCs production and consumption were stopped in the late 1990s to safeguard the ozone layer further. Consequently, more effort has been made to prevent ozone depletion.
Human activities are the number one cause of ozone depletion. For example, the emission of substances containing bromine and chlorine atoms is the primary cause of ozone depletion. The world has managed to prevent the depletion of the ozone layer by implementing policies that decrease CFCs production. CFCs come from dry-cleaning agents, air conditioners, and refrigerators. Halons and carbon tetrachloride are found in solvents and fire extinguishers. HCFCs are found in solvents, air conditioners, and fire extinguishers. Methyl chloroform is from aerosols and adhesives. Another thing that can cause ozone depletio...