Difference Between Ozone Depletion and Green House Effect

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Ozone Depletion vs Green House Effect
The state of the ozone hole in the atmosphere and global warming caused by the green house effect are possibly the most contentious and significant issues that confront mankind. The ozone gas in the atmosphere protects mankind from harmful radiation, while the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere thereby raising temperatures worldwide with harmful repercussions for the rest of the world.

Ozone is present in the earth’s stratosphere and comes into being by ultraviolet light colliding with oxygen molecules containing two oxygen atoms (O2), and dividing them into individual oxygen atoms. There after the atomic oxygen then combines with unbroken O2 to create ozone, O3.This critically important gas in the atmosphere is what shields us from the harmful UV or ultraviolet rays coming from the sun; in particular UV-C which is the most detrimental to human health.

Greenhouse effect pertains to the warming of the planet because of the solar heat that gets trapped by our atmosphere, because of the presence of greenhouse effect causing substances like gas, dust and clouds.

Ozone depletion really has to do with two separate, but interconnected truths: a steady fall by as much as 4% per decade in the total quantity of ozone in the Earth’s stratosphere (ozone layer) and a much bigger decline ozone around the Earth’s arctic and Antarctic regions across the same period. This is referred to as the ozone hole.

The greenhouse effect causes the heating of the surface of any planetary body by the presence of an atmosphere comprising of gases that absorb and emit radiation. This implies that greenhouse gases trap heat within the surface-troposphere system. The Earth gets its energy from the sun as visible light. Approximately 50% of the sun’s energy gets to reach the Earth and is absorbed by the surface. The earth in turn radiates energy in the infrared range. Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and convey this absorbed heat to other atmospheric gases by way of molecular collisions.

Thus we can see that though often used interchangeably ozone layer depletion and green house effect are two entirely distinct phenomena which may both cause harmful effects upon the surface of planet earth.
Summary:
1.The ozone gas in the atmosphere protects mankind from harmful radiation, and its depletion is therefore undesirable, while the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere thereby raising temperatures worldwide with harmful repercussions for the rest of the world.
2.Ozone is present in the earth’s stratosphere. Greenhouse effect pertains to the warming of the planet because of the solar heat that gets trapped by our atmosphere, because of the presence of greenhouse effect causing substances like gas, dust and clouds.
3.As much as 4% per decade in the total quantity of ozone in the Earth’s stratosphere and much bigger decline ozone around the Earth’s arctic and Antarctic regions has occurred in the recent past. Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and convey this absorbed heat to other atmospheric gases by way of molecular collisions.

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