Skip to main content

Why are there "ozone holes" in the ozone layer?

The ozone "hole" is an area of depleted ozone located in the stratosphere above the Antarctic that occurs between August and October.


Ozone depletion is caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Once CFCs reach the stratosphere, their reaction with UV light leads to the release of chlorine atoms into the atmosphere. Chlorine atoms then participate in other chemical reactions that destroy the ozone and release chlorine atoms back into the atmosphere.


During the months of November through July, most of the chlorine released from CFCs is stored in the stable compounds hydrochloric acid and chlorine nitrate. Unusual weather patterns in the Antarctic between the months of August and October trigger chemical reactions that break down hydrochloric acid and chlorine nitrate into free chlorine atoms. This results in a period of ozone depletion between August and October. The ozone layer stabilizes during the remainder of the year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more