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Definition
The ozone layer refers to the ozone within the stratosphere of the Earth, where over 90 % of the Earth’s ozone resides. This layer absorbs the Sun’s high-energy ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths <290 nm. The concentration of ozone is measured in Dobson units (DU).
History
The existence of an ozone layer in the upper regions of our atmosphere was detected in 1913 by Charles Fabry and Henri Buisson. In 1924, G.M.B. Dobson built the first spectrograph to measure the seasonal variation of ozone. From 1928 to 1958, Dobson established a worldwide network of ozone monitoring stations that are operating up to date. In his honor the “Dobson unit” was defined as measure of the columnar density of ozone above the Earth surface (see definition below).
Overview
On Earth, the stratospheric ozone layer is found at an altitude from 20 to 40 km. It is created when ultraviolet radiation from the Sun strikes the oxygen molecules in the stratosphere. By this...
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References and Further Reading
Cockell CS, Horneck G (2001) The history of the UV radiation climate of the Earth – theoretical and space-based observations. Photochem Photobiol 73:447–451
Graedel TE, Crutzen PJ (1993) Atmospheric change: an Earth system perspective, 2nd edn. Freeman, New York
Häder DP (ed) (1997) The effects of ozone depletion on aquatic ecosystems. Academic, RG Landes
Horneck G, Rettberg P, Rabbow E, Strauch W, Seckmeyer G, Facius R, Reitz G, Strauch K, Schott JU (1996) Biological dosimetry of solar radiation for different simulated ozone column thickness. J Photochem Photobiol B Biol 32:189–196
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Horneck, G. (2014). Ozone Layer. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1144-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1144-2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4
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