PART 2
Ozone Hole Consequences
The Southern Ocean is one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems, home to huge numbers of penguins, seals, and bottom plants, and a major supplier of nutrients carried to other parts of the world by undersea currents. Little is known about the effect of UV-B on marine life, particularly the microscopic algae called phytoplankton that form the foundation of the undersea food chain. These tiny plants capture the sun's energy through photosynthesis, providing food for microscopic animals.
They are eaten by krill, which sustain the Antarctic's abundant seals, penguins, and baleen whales.
Less phytoplankton means less food for these animals to eat. It is estimated that a 16 % ozone depletion could result in further losses in Phytoplankton, which would lead to a loss of about 7 million tons of fish per year. With the human food supply already strained due to demands of an ever-increasing population, small reductions resulting from UV damage may be disastrous to many people, especially the poor and indigenous people.
Researchers say it's clear that UV-B harms Antarctic microbes. Dr Patrick Neale, of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, has predicted that phytoplankton photosynthesis declines by as much as 8.5 per cent under the worst conditions.
It also damages the DNA of marine bacteria and the larvae of starfish and urchins, they say. And it even alters ocean chemistry, creating potentially dangerous substances in the water itself.
"This refers to the fact that UV radiation is involved in a number of photochemical reactions in seawater (including the hydrolysis/splitting of water molecules) that produce radicals (hydroxyl, peroxide, superoxide, etc.). These radicals are very reactive and can cause biological damage by oxidizing biological molecules. It's really dramatic what the changes in ozone levels will do to rates of DNA damage and inhibited development," says biologist Deneb Karentz of the University of San Francisco. "If you have a 30 per cent decline in ozone, that doesn't mean a 30 per cent decline in a given biological process - it could be a lot more than that". Experts predict that an estimated 10 % reduction in the ozone layer will result in a 25 % increase in non-melanoma skin cancer rates for temperate latitudes by the year 2050.
The burning goes deeper however, than sunburn, skin cancers, and cataracts. Wearing certain sunglasses may enhance exposure of the lens and retina to harmful UV rays, because the iris opens wider to compensate for the reduced visible light and then more penetration of UV can reach the retina. Through other similar mechanisms, UV rays can suppress the human immune system leaving the body vulnerable to many diseases caused by bacteria and viruses entering through or affecting the skin. While darker skinned individuals are less likely to contract a skin cancer from sun exposure, dark skin is not a protection against immune suppression by UV. But dark skin does require a greater dosage of UV than white skin to initiate immune suppression.
Increased exposure to UV rays in animals and humans has been linked to elevated risk from the following diseases: the herpes viruses, the human immunodeficiency virus HIV- 1, a variety of papilloma viruses, leishmaniasis, malaria, forms of tuberculosis, leprosy, lupus erthematodes, dermatitis, E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Since UV rays readily damage DNA in all cells, it is not unrealistic to hypothesize that this will play an additional role in the mutation of existing disease bacteria and viruses and may produce totally new strains of pathogens. Physicians are finding that infection and disease is a greater global challenge than cancer, as people of all skin pigmentation are at equal risk from the effects of immuno-suppression. Geographic areas of poor public health are at even greater risk.
These two pictures helps explain things a bit more clearly
What You Can Do
High-Altitude "Good" Ozone
* Make sure that technicians working on your car air conditioner, home air conditioner, or refrigerator are certified by an EPA approved program to recover the refrigerant (this is required by law).
* Have your car and home air conditioner units and refrigerator checked for leaks. When possible, repair leaky air conditioning units before refilling them.
* Contact local authorities to properly dispose of refrigeration or air conditioning equipment.
* Protect yourself against sunburn. Minimize sun exposure during midday hours (10 am to 4 pm). Wear sunglasses, a hat with a wide brim, and protective clothing with a tight weave. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 and 30 is better.
* Become an advocate for The Ozone Layer-tell your friends about the importance of The Ozone Layer
Ground-Level "Bad" Ozone
* Keep your automobile well tuned and maintained.
* Carpool, use mass transit, walk, bicycle, and/or reduce driving, especially on hot summer days.
* Be careful not to spill gasoline when filling up your car or gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment. During the summer, fill your gas tank during the cooler evening hours.
* Make sure your car's tires are properly inflated and your wheels are aligned.
* Participate in your local utility's energy conservation programs.
* Seal containers of household cleaners, workshop chemicals and solvents, and garden chemicals to prevent VOC from evaporating into the air. Dispose of them properly.
We live with ozone every day. It can protect life on earth
or harm it, but we have the power to influence
ozone's impact by the way we live.
taken from theozonehole.com
Well that was fun putting that together - I hope you all enjoyed my presentation (which would have not been able to be put together so well if it were not for theozonehole.com, which is a nonprofit organization...
Data compiled from The British Antarctic Study, NASA, ESA, WDCRSA, Environment Canada, UNEP, NOAA, USEPA and other sources as stated and credited Updated Daily-Researched By Charles Welch- This Website is a project of the The Ozone Hole Inc. a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit OrganizationThe Ozone Hole P.O. Box 431 Pocono Pines, PA 18350
This link is on the bottom of their website (below the information directly above) which is a link to their other nonprofit website which I'm going to share since theozonehole.com helped me put this information together and shares such a wealth of information (much more than I presented) for free to the world.
Click the image below to visit their other website (solar computer house)
This website provides information on numerous environmental and world issues, such as solar energy, rainforests, coral reefs, ozone, global warming, endangered species, recycling, and things you can do to protect the environment. The term "Saving The Earth" is a misnomer.. The Earth will be just fine...It will adapt...just without all the people...
[edit on 28-2-2010 by highlyoriginal] *can someone please U2U me and explain how to make the pictures scrollable because the 2 that are cut off in this 2nd part are important and I'd like people to be able to see the entire image*
[edit on 28-2-2010 by highlyoriginal]
