Question

Legislation was introduced in 1987 to ban the use of compounds that were depleting the ozone layer. The graph below shows the levels of hologens in the atmospher for several yesrs after the legislation was passed. What conclusion can you draw fromt his graph?

Answer 1

The graph shows that the levels of halogens in the atmosphere decreased steadily after the legislation was passed in 1987 and suggests that the legislation was effective in reducing the release of halogens into the atmosphere.

Halogens, such as chlorine and bromine, are ozone-depleting substances. They react with ozone molecules in the stratosphere, destroying them and creating a hole in the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The decrease in halogen levels in the atmosphere is a good sign for the ozone layer and suggests that the ozone layer is slowly recovering. However, it is important to continue to monitor halogen levels and to enforce the legislation that bans their use.