INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE OZONE LAYER

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was observed on 16 September 2013 across the world to bring awareness about the depletion of Ozone layer in the atmosphere. This event commemorates the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.

The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994 since then International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated on September 16 every year.

The theme for the year 2013 is “A healthy atmosphere, the Future We Want”.

Ozone

Ozone is a special form of oxygen with the chemical formula O3. Ozone constitutes a very small part of our atmosphere, but its presence is nevertheless vital to human well-being. The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the stratosphere from approximately 20 to 30 kilometres (12 to 19 mi) above Earth, though the thickness varies seasonally and geographically.. Ozone in the stratosphere absorbs some of the Sun’s biologically harmful UltraViolet radiation (UV).

Ozone layer

          The ozone layer is a layer in Earth's atmosphere which absorbs most of the Sun's UV radiation. It contains relatively high concentrations of ozone (O₃), although it is still very small with regard to ordinary oxygen, and is less than ten parts per million, the average ozone concentration in Earth's atmosphere being only about 0.6 parts per million.

The ozone layer was discovered in 1913 by the French physicists Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. Its properties were explored in detail by the British meteorologist G. M. B. Dobson, who developed a simple spectrophotometer (the Dobsonmeter) that could be used to measure stratospheric ozone from the ground. The "Dobson unit", a convenient measure of the columnar density of ozone overhead, is named in his honor.

Ozone future levels