On Ozone

     Ozone is an important aspect of Earth's atmosphere. It is created through the binding three oxygen atoms and is vastly unstable. Most ozone (about 90%) occurs in the stratosphere, 8 to 50 km above Earth where the unstable compound absorbs most of the UV rays from the Sun, shielding the Earth and her life forms and, in consequence, making life on Earth possible.
     Ozone found below the stratosphere is called surface ozone. Ozone near the surface reacts strongly with organic matter, which can be potentially harmful to humans, plants, animals, and other objects. Surface ozone is largely man-made and is affected by machines (which generally produce high levels of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, a compound released in the air when something is heated and compunds in the air, respectively). This can be harmful to breathe both in lower and higher concentrations, particularly in regard to one’s lungs or developing/injured lungs. It manifests in symptoms such as asthma.
     Because Ozone impacts our world so significantly, it's important that we ultilize our ability to study it. Understanding our O^3 footprint and how it affects the world we live in today can help us to understand ways we can change our living habits (or should have changed).

Sites used for gathering information (third link is a powerpoint from NASA):

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone
• http://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov/science/basics.htm
• http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmynasadata.larc.nasa.gov%2Fdocs%2FL10_ozone.ppt&ei=_Il1UInxLKvG0AGTvIHwCA&usg=AFQjCNGKZTjZowrT8aiz97djq686K5vLZg