1. Ozone and Acid Rain

2. ❖ Relatively unstable: 3 atoms of oxygen ❖ Small fraction of atmosphere=crucial for life on Earth ❖ Blocks ultraviolet rays/solar radiation: Ozone (O 3 ) Solar energy splits O 2 into two oxygen atoms One oxygen atom binds to O 2, creating O 3

3. Good Ozone vs. Bad Ozone Good: ❖ Stratosphere (10-30 miles above sea level) ❖ Protects from solar radiation ➢ Skin cancer ➢ Problems w/photosynthesis ➢ Inhibit reproduction in some organisms Bad: ❖ Troposphere (sea level-10 miles above) ❖ Other organisms (atoms & mol) exposed to ozone=chem reaction ➢ Lung tissue damage ➢ Asthma=high risk

4. Buildup of Ozone ❖ Chlorine and bromine=biggest contributors to ozone buildup ❖ Need a balance btw processes that create and destroy ozone ❖ “Good” ozone decreasing/ “bad” ozone increasing ❖ Estimated to take 50 years to get back to natural levels of chlorine=help stop ozone buildup

5. Acid Rain ❖ Any form of precipitation with high levels of nitric & sulfuric acids ❖ Mainly caused by burning fossil fuels by coal-burning plants/factories/automobiles (rotting vegetables & erupting volcanoes) Burn fossil fuels... Release sulfur dioxide & nitrogen oxide... Falls to earth as rain/snow/fog/tiny bits of dry material... Pollutes soil & aquatic environments…

6. Ecological Effects ❖ Especially aquatic environments ❖ SO 2 & NO X =react with water/oxygen/other substances=forms mild solution of sulfuric & nitric acid ❖ Absorbs aluminum from soil (also in water)=combination makes water toxic to aquatic organisms ❖ Only some species affected=chain reaction=creates a problem for the whole food chain ❖ Damages forests=esp trees in high elevations ❖ Estimated to take many years for harmful effects to disappear

7. Dunbar, Brian. "The Good, the Bad and the Ozone." NASA. NASA, 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. Graham, Steve. “Ozone: Feature Articles.” Ozon: Feature Articles. NASA, 30 July 1999. Web. 08 Apr. 2014. "Ozone Depletion." National Geographic. National Geographic, Oct. 2010. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. "Acid Rain." National Geographic. National Geographic, Mar. 2006. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. Citations