Ozone Layer

An atmospheric layer that contains a high proportion of oxygen that exists as ozone. The ozone is created by a series of processes beginning with the splitting up of the oxygen molecule to single oxygen atoms. It acts as a filtering mechanism against incoming ultraviolet radiation. It is located between the troposphere and the stratosphere, around 15000m to 20000m above the earth's surface.

The ozone layer was discovered by Charles Fabry in 1913. In 1985 a British expedition to the Antarctic discovered a hole in the ozone layer above the south pole.

See also: Oxygen, Ultraviolet Light.