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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Pollution and Environmental Quality

Ozone layer

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˈoʊzoʊn ˌleɪər/nounCore term

In environment & climate, ozone layer means: A layer of gas high in the atmosphere, mainly 15–35 km above the Earth, that absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

In Turkish: ozon tabakası

How it is used

Damaged by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances, which the 1987 Montreal Protocol phased out. Common phrases: ozone depletion, the ozone hole over Antarctica, ozone-depleting substances (ODS). The layer is slowly recovering. Do not confuse it with ground-level ozone, which is an air pollutant.

Example sentences

  1. Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is on track to recover over the coming decades.

  2. Old fridges may still contain gases that damage the ozone layer, so they need special handling.

Common collocations

  • ozone depletion
  • ozone hole
  • ozone-depleting substances
  • protect the ozone layer
  • air qualityHow clean or polluted the air is, measured by the levels of pollutants such as fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and sulfur dioxide.
  • smogA thick haze of air pollution over a city, formed from smoke, vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions and often made worse by sunlight and still weather.
  • phase outTo stop using, producing or allowing something gradually, step by step over a planned period, for example coal power or harmful chemicals.
  • pollutionThe presence in air, water or soil of harmful substances, or of noise, light or heat, at levels that damage people's health, wildlife or the environment.

More terms: Pollution and Environmental Quality

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