Sunday, December 27, 2009

What is the importance of the ozone layer on solar energy?

My teacher assigned this question to research. I have researched to the best of my ability but nothing seems to be what I'm looking for. I don't really understand the question either.What is the importance of the ozone layer on solar energy?
http://climatecrisis.org/


http://www.livescience.com/php/video/pla鈥?/a>





the livescience link is sorta neat, but you have to wait through a few minutes of junkWhat is the importance of the ozone layer on solar energy?
Solar panels (arrays of photovoltaic cells that make electricity directly from sunlight) rely on visible light only and the ozone layer screens out ultraviolet light only. So it seems to be it has no importance.
I'm not surprised-the question is poorly phrased. But here's the answer. :)





The light (solar energy) from the sun has different properties depending on its wavelength. Some is visible light--what our eyes respond to--but much of it is at a wavelength we can't see. At a wavelength somewhat shorter than visible light is what we call ulraviolet light (UV) Its the type of solar energy that causes you to tan--or sunburn--when your outside. Too much of it can cause canceer.





The ozone layer is a region high in the atmosphere that contains a high concentration of oxygen in the form of O3 molecules. This is ozone, and it absorbs most of the UV from the sun. Without the ozone layer, we would be subject to a dangerous level of UV anytime we went outside.





Thats why aabout 30 years ago scientiss became concerned when they found some chemicals (cloroflourocarbons or CFCs) released by people (a lot of it in the form of aerosols) had the property of breaking down the ozone. The CFCs were banned--but these chemicals last a long dime--and so there's still a pattern of ';holes'; in the ozone (really areas of abnormally low concentration). But the ozone layer is slowly recovering as the CFCs gradually break down.





The importance of the ozone layer is that it filters out the UV, so that we are protected from the harmful effects of too much UV.
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