A new study has recently highlighted the vital importance of ozone in our atmosphere for regulating the Earth’s temperature. In fact, without an ozone layer, our planet would get colder, and not by a small amount.
According to the model used by the scientists, if the amount of ozone were close to zero, the average temperature of the planet would drop by 3.5°C, approaching temperatures of the last ice age.
Furthermore, the resulting cooling of the stratosphere would prevent the formation of clouds, with catastrophic effects on the seasonal climate.
The temperature on Earth is influenced by a myriad of factors. One of them is the so-called energy budget which, in simple terms, works like this: the Sun warms the planet through radiation, which in turn is released into space. However, not all of the radiation escapes. The ocean, the soil and the atmosphere absorb some of it, generating a greenhouse effect aggravated by some substances effective in retaining heat.
Ozone is also one of these substances, but his effects on the energy budget depend on the location. At about 30km (in the stratosphere), the ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet rays, but below 20km it becomes a dangerous greenhouse gas, absorbing heat; and at ground level then, it is a major cause of smog.
The fact remains that ozone depletion caused by human activity is one terrible news for the climate on the planet. Ozone-depleting chemicals are much more effective at retaining heat.
If it weren’t for the ban on the production of chlorofluorocarbons implemented by the Montreal Protocol – thanks to which we have delayed the melting of the ice – the situation today would be much worse. And fortunately, the ozone hole appears to be healing.