Atmospheric Ozone

Abstract

The problem of atmospheric ozone has aroused much curiosity. The widespread interest in this constituent is quite disproportionate to its very small amount. Although ozone is only 3 parts in 10,000,000 of our atmosphere, its very existence or, more exactly, its absorption of solar ultraviolet light makes possible, the presence of life, as we know it, on earth. The importance of ozone in atmospheric physics was disclosed only gradually; its importance stems mainly from its remarkable optical properties, which have many ramifications. First, ozone offers to meteorologists, a convenient method for studying air masses in the stratosphere; it helps in measuring some of their physical properties, such as temperature and pressure, and it may be used as a natural tracer for their motions. Ozone is also of interest in dynamic meteorology. Ozone is one of the most effective reactors to solar radiation in the terrestrial atmosphere. Thus, it may be a possible link between upper and lower levels. The purpose of this chapter is to present a general picture of atmospheric ozone, with special attention to these new aspects of the question. This chapter discusses the measurement of characteristic parameters, with concentration at ground level, and at reduced thickness and temperature. It further discusses about vertical distribution, and ozone in the upper atmosphere, ending with a look at the origin of atmospheric ozone.