Highlight the variations between the troposphere and stratospheric in the ozone generation and function. Talk about the several approaches to lessening the effects of tropospheric ozone. (Answer in 250 words)
Climate Tipping Point - According to International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - "Climate tipping points refers to the thresholds beyond which small changes in climate forcing forcing can trigger large, abrupt and potentially irreversible changes in climate system". Critical concerns of Climate TRead more
Climate Tipping Point –
According to International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – “Climate tipping points refers to the thresholds beyond which small changes in climate forcing forcing can trigger large, abrupt and potentially irreversible changes in climate system”.
Critical concerns of Climate Tipping Point –
- It’s impact on agriculture and global food system led to food insecurity.
- Extreme weather patterns led to increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves, droughts and storms
- Threat to the coastal communities due to increase in sea level by thawing ice sheets and glaciers.
- Chances of ecosystem collapse because of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- Water scarcity due to change in water precipitation patterns and melting glaciers.
- Changes are irreversible in nature.
- Tipping points initiate the chain reaction and affect multiple systems.
- It causes risk to human health and well being with addition to Economic instability and losses .
Climate tipping point is a critical concern to us and to mitigate this we have to follow few processes like reducing immediate emissions to limit warming, transition to renewable energy sources, climate resilient infrastructure and their adoption with the help of international cooperation and governance.
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(i) Circum-Pacific belt: Also known as the ‘volcanic zones of the convergent oceanic plate margins’, it includes the volcanoes of the eastern and western coastal areas of the Pacific Ocean, of island arcs and festoons off the east coast of Asia and of the volcanic islands scattered over the Pacific Ocean. (ii) Mid-continental belt: Also known as ‘the volcanic zones of convergent continental plate margins’, it includes the volcanoes of Alpine mountain chains and the Mediterranean Sea and the volcanoes of the fault zone of eastern Africa. (iii) Mid-oceanic ridge belt: This belt includes the volcanoes mainly along the mid-Atlantic ridge which represents the splitting/divergent zone of plates. The spatial distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes show similarities as both events are closely linked with the Theory of Plate Tectonics, which explains the formation of convergent and divergent boundaries and the motion of plates. 
Jet streams play a significant role in altering the global and regional climate.
However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its recent report highlighted that AMOC is losing its stability and is very likely to decline over the 21st century due to the following reasons:
Ozone (03) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth's upper atmosphere (stratosphere) and lower atmosphere oxygen (troposphere). Depending on where it is in the atmosphere, ozone affects life on Earth in either goodRead more
Ozone (03) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and a man-made product that occurs in the Earth’s upper atmosphere (stratosphere) and lower atmosphere oxygen (troposphere). Depending on where it is in the atmosphere, ozone affects life on Earth in either good or bad ways. Formation of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone Tropospheric or ground-level ozone is formed primarily from photochemical reactions between two major classes of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). NOx and VOC break apart in the presence of intense sunlight and recombine into new structures, creating ozone. It is created by human activities as emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapor, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOC. On the other hand, stratospheric ozone is formed naturally through the interaction of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation with molecular oxygen (02). Solar ultraviolet radiation breaks apart one oxygen molecule (02) to produce two oxygen atoms (20) and each of these highly reactive atoms combines with an oxygen molecule to produce an ozone molecule (03). These reactions occur continually whenever solar ultraviolet radiation is present in the stratosphere. Role of tropospheric and stratospheric ozone The tropospheric ozone or bad ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, and throat irritation. It is also a major component of urban smog, which can worsen bronchitis and emphysema, trigger asthma, and permanently damage lung tissue. Further, bad ozone also damages vegetation and ecosystems as it leads to reduced agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased susceptibility to diseases, pests, and other stresses such as harsh weather. Whereas, the stratospheric ozone absorbs a portion of UV (Ultra Violet) light called UVB from the sun, preventing it from reaching the planet’s surface. Thus, it protects from many harmful effects, including skin cancers, cataracts, and harm to some crops and marine life. But this good ozone is gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), etc.
Strategies to prevent the formation of tropospheric ozone.
The Government has further taken initiatives such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), etc. to check ozone pollution and improve air quality. There is a need for the effective implementation of multi-faceted programs to cut NOx and VOC emissions from vehicles, industrial facilities, and electric utilities. Voluntary programs may also be started to encourage the communities to adopt practices, such as carpooling, to reduce harmful emissions.
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