Introduction

Ozone is a very scarce yet very important molecule in earth's atmosphere. It is estimated that only 3 of every 10 million air molecules in earth's atmosphere is an ozone molecule. If all of the ozone molecules in the earth's atmosphere were stacked together, they would equal the thickness of about three dimes.

Although there are not very many of these molecules, they serve a very important role in the atmosphere. In the last 30 years, ozone has been making headlines because of its decline in some areas the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere and its increase in others the troposphere layer . Depending on where it is located in the atmosphere, it can be either a "good" or "bad" molecule.

In this lesson, you will learn how ozone is formed in the stratosphere and troposphere, its importance to living things on earth, how humans impact the ozone layer, and what humans can do to prevent its destruction.

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Explain the importance of ozone in the atmosphere.
  • Identify ways that humans impact the ozone layer.
  • Identify ways that humans can stop ozone destruction.
  • Identify causes of ozone in the troposphere, how it is formed, and the problems it cause.

Enduring Understanding:

  • Depending on what atmospheric layer ozone is found, it can be either beneficial or harmful to living organisms.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science 1

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R9, R10, W1, W2, W3, W4, W9, and W10

 

    Next Page