the effect of harmful hydrocarbons in the ozone layer of the atmosphere?
403646
Your question attempts to answer itself.  Therefore, what are we here for? Go hug a tree.
1114517
Although the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer is very small, it is vitally important to life because it absorbs biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from the Sun. UV radiation is divided into three categories, based on its wavelength; these are referred to as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. UV-C, which would be very harmful to humans, is entirely screened out by ozone at around 35 km altitude.\n\nUV-B radiation is the main cause of sunburn; excessive exposure can also cause genetic damage, resulting in problems such as skin cancer. The ozone layer is very effective at screening out UV-B; for radiation with a wavelength of 290 nm, the intensity at Earth's surface is 350 million times weaker than at the top of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, some UV-B reaches the surface. Most UV-A reaches the surface; this radiation is significantly less harmful, although it can potentially cause genetic damage.\n\nDepletion of the ozone layer would allow more of the UV radiation, and particularly the more harmful wavelengths, to reach the surface, causing increased genetic damage to living things.\n\nDNA sensitivity to UV\nTo appreciate how important this ultraviolet radiation screening is, we can consider a characteristic of radiation damage called an action spectrum. An action spectrum gives us a measure of the relative effectiveness of radiation in generating a certain biological response over a range of wavelengths. This response might be erythema (sunburn), changes in plant growth, or changes in molecular DNA. There is much greater probability of DNA damage by UV radiation at various wavelengths. Fortunately, where DNA is easily damaged, such as by wavelengths shorter than 290 nm, ozone strongly absorbs UV. At the longer wavelengths where ozone absorbs weakly, DNA damage is less likely. If there was a 10% decrease in ozone, the amount of DNA damaging UV increases, in this case, by about 22%. Considering that DNA damage can lead to maladies like skin cancer, it is clear that this absorption of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation by ozone is critical for our well being.\n\nAmount of ozone\nThe "thickness" of the ozone layer—that is, the total amount of ozone in a column overhead—varies by a large factor worldwide, being in general smaller near the equator and larger as one moves towards the poles. It also varies with season, being in general thicker during the spring and thinner during the autumn. The reasons for this latitude and seasonal dependence are complicated, involving atmospheric circulation patterns as well as solar intensity.
613038
an event that is effecting the atmosphere today was the mass production of cars and industrial sites in the world. this is hurtin the atmoshperic ozone layer.the carbon monozide coming out of these things is whats doing all the damage
385645
This is CFCs, which breakdown in the ozone layer, and when they react with the ozone, O3, leave the earth exposed to the harmless radiation.
279159
The ozone layer protects the earth from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.  Some does (and is supposed to) get through in order to keep us from freezing.  But too much UV radiation heats the earth more than necessary (and causes sunburns.  Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide being the most prevalent) which trap the heat inside the atmosphere, causing the earth to get warmer and warmer.
976507
Air Pollution (smoke...)\nWater Pollution (oil spills, garbage)\nPollution on Land (garbage....)\n\nOil spills in the ocean are very difficult to deal with because it requires alot of work to clean up as the ocean is so vast and the oil spreads quickly.  It is also very difficult to deal with because alot of organisms die in the ocean from the oil before it is able to be cleaned up.
782745
"Are we destroying the earth with technology or is the earth doing business as usual"\nI suggest you track the changes scientists have found in the entire history of the earth, warming, freezing, wet and even effects of smoke from Krakatoa. Then compare what is happening now with pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer and ask the readers to make their own conclusion.
308119
You have a misconception as to what an ozone layer is.  Ozone is a gas and is found throughout the atmosphere, even at ground level.  The ozone layer is the range in the atmosphere where ozone levels are the highest.  Oxygen O2 is present in the ozone layer as well (as are all other atmospheric gasses).  You should also note that in the ozone layer there isn't actually a whole lot of ozone, just more than there is anywhere else.  I think it's around 5 parts per million; meaning there is 1 molecule of ozone for every 200,000 other molecules.  There isn't a blanket of ozone, it's just an area where ozone is 5-10ppm instead of 1ppm or less.  \n\nWhy does most of it stay where it is?  Ozone is a somewhat unstable molecule and the same mechanism that typically forms ozone also breaks it down.  Simply, O2 gets hit by some photons of the right energy (some kind of UV light) and is split into O and O, one (or both) of those O's bonds to another O2 molecule to form O3, ozone.  Sooner or later, that O3 gets hit by the right energy of UV light and one of the O's break off to form O2 and a spare O which will find another O2 to bond with and repeat the cycle.  A small percent of the ozone does drop into the statosphere (where we live).
546598
A moderately toxic chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide( Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), formely widely used but now banned in US except for a few specialized purpose because of the ecological damage it cause
1024045
It is believed that one of the causes of ozone depletion is due to the presence of CFC (Chloro-Fluoro Carbons) in the stratosphere. A common source of this used to be Freon - a coolant used in refridgeration / air-conditioning which has a relatively large lifespan once introduced into the atmosphere.\n\nThe ozone layer is responsible for absorbing some harmful UV rays (ultra-violet)  and their absence can lead to increase in skin ailments for humans such as skin cancer (especially in Australia ).\n\nI don't think it is related to melting of the ice-cap, warming temperatures - where another atmospheric gas -carbon dioxide is more directly involved.
217899
theoretically - you may cause pollution by using a car (car fumes), destroy the ozone layer and thus cause the global warming (by using old refridgerators or sprays with freon in them).
1136335
http://www.ioga.com/Special/crudeoil_Hist.htm\nThat should help.
706387
The earth is protected by the Ozone Layer, which helps us from the sun's damaging uv rays.  As people pollute the air, the ozone layer becomes damaged and evenutally will diminish causing the sun's damaging rays to enter the earth's atmosphere increasing temperatures.  The increase in temperature would cause areas of extremely cold temperature where icebergs are found to become warmer; thus causing icebergs to begin melting.  The increase in temperature will also cause many of the plants that survive and grow in the tropics to die.\n\nAir pollution contribuites to GW by causing the ozone layer to dissapear, leaving sections of "holes" where the powerful ray's of the sun will cause increase in temperatures damaging life forms to include plants, animals that survive on such plants, polar caps melting which could affect the animals (polar bears, penguins, etc).
124395
Ozone destruction\n\nChemical factors\nOzone can be destroyed by a number of free radical catalysts, of which the most important are hydroxyl (OH), \nnitric oxide (NO) and atomic chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br). All of these radicals have both natural and anthropogenic (manmade) sources. At the present time, most of the OH and NO in the stratosphere is of natural origin, but human activity has dramatically increased the chlorine and bromine. These elements are found in certain stable compounds, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which may find their way to the stratosphere and there be liberated by the action of ultraviolet light. Most importantly, the chlorine atoms so generated destroy ozone molecules in a catalytic cycle. In this cycle, a chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule, taking an oxygen atom with it (forming ClO) and leaving a normal oxygen molecule. A free oxygen atom then takes away the oxygen from the ClO, and the final result is an oxygen molecule and a chlorine atom, which then reinitiates the cycle. A single chlorine atom would keep on destroying ozone forever were it not for reactions that remove them from this cycle by forming reservoir species such as hydrochloric acid and chlorine nitrate. On a per atom basis, bromine is even more efficient than chlorine at destroying ozone, but there is much less bromine in the atmosphere at present. As a result, both chlorine and bromine contribute significantly to the overall ozone depletion.\n\nPolar stratospheric clouds\nThe reactivation of atomic chlorine from these reservoir species is normally slow, but is enhanced by the presence of polar stratospheric clouds which appear during Antarctic winters, leading to a strong seasonal cycle in ozone hole formation.\n\nFor more info go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone_depletion
940626
Ultraviolet radiation exposure, photosynthesis and the gaseous composition of elements in the atmosphere.
941873
Global Warming is the phenomenon of increase in Earths Temperature due to Greenhouse Effect leading to melting of Polar Ice Caps\nAdding carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane (CH4) to Earth's atmosphere, with no other changes, will make the planet's surface warmer; greenhouse gases create a natural greenhouse effect without which temperatures on Earth would be an estimated 30 °C (54 °F) lower, and the Earth uninhabitable.\n\nOZONE layer is the Protective Shielding in the Atmosphere which saves us from harmful solar UV rays.IT is Naturally occuring trace gas, chemical formula O3. In the stratosphere, it serves to absorb many harmful solar UV rays.\n\nEarthquakE------An earthquake is a phenomenon that results from and is powered by the sudden release of stored energy that radiates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground and sometimes tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property.
864225
As other people have pointed out, the oil is converted into combustion products (carbon dioxide, water, and assorted partial combustion products), all of which stick around in the atmosphere and therefore remain part of the Earth's mass. The energy comes from the binding energy of the hydrocarbon molecules. There is some mass associated with this energy, but it's minuscule.\n\nSecondly, even if the mass all that oil were destroyed, the change in Earth's overall mass would be insignificant.