Aura: A mission dedicated to the health of Earth's atmosphere
Is the stratospheric ozone layer recovering?  The stratospheric
ozone layer shields life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV)
solar radiation (wavelengths shorter than 340 nm). Research
shows that excess exposure to the Sun’s UV radiation is harmful
to plants, including crops, and causes skin cancer and eye
problems in humans and animals. Excess UV radiation exposure may
also suppress the human immune system.  Ozone forms naturally in
the stratosphere as incoming solar UV radiation hits oxygen
molecules (O2) and breaks them apart into free-floating
individual oxygen atoms. These oxygen atoms can then combine
with O2 molecules to form ozone molecules (O3). Ozone is
destroyed when an ozone molecule combines with an oxygen atom to
form two oxygen molecules; or through certain chemical reactions
involving molecules containing hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, or
bromine atoms. (For more details on how stratospheric ozone is
formed and destroyed, please