Ozone layer

The ozone layer is a region of Earth’s stratosphere with elevated ozone concentrations. It absorbs most incoming ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise harm living organisms.

Chapman cycle: A set of reactions describing how ultraviolet light forms and destroys ozone in the stratosphere. It explains the natural balance of ozone formation and loss in the layer.
Ozone depletion: A decline in stratospheric ozone concentration, especially pronounced over Antarctica in spring. It describes the weakening of the layer’s protective capacity.
Charles Fabry: A French physicist who helped identify ozone in the upper atmosphere through ultraviolet spectroscopy. His measurements helped establish that atmospheric ozone is concentrated aloft.
Dobson spectrophotometer: An instrument that estimates total atmospheric ozone by comparing ultraviolet sunlight at selected wavelengths. It provided long-running measurements used to map the layer’s abundance.
Tropospheric ozone: Ozone present in the lowest atmospheric layer, where it acts as an air pollutant and greenhouse gas. Unlike stratospheric ozone, ground-level ozone harms health and vegetation.
Ultraviolet radiation: Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light and longer than X-rays. Ozone absorbs much of the Sun’s biologically harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Antarctic ozone hole: A recurring springtime region of exceptionally low stratospheric ozone over Antarctica. It is the clearest large-scale example of severe ozone-layer depletion.
Henri Buisson: A French physicist who collaborated with Charles Fabry on early measurements of atmospheric ozone. His work helped reveal the stratospheric ozone layer.
TOMS: A satellite instrument series that mapped total atmospheric ozone using reflected ultraviolet radiation. Its global observations revealed the extent and seasonal pattern of ozone loss.
Ozone: A molecule composed of three oxygen atoms, found naturally in the atmosphere and produced by chemical reactions. The ozone layer is one location and role of this molecule.

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