How is ozone formed in the stratosphere?

Question

Emilia Aguirre · Accepted Answer

The textbook answer is the "Chapman Process"

The Chapman Model, which dates back to the 1920s, postulates that ultraviolet radiation interacts with oxygen molecules, causing the molecules to split into individual atoms that then interact with other oxygen molecules to form ozone. The Chapman Model has flaws that stem from its theoretical foundation as well as from attempts to test it experimentally in the future to see how well it matches reality. Around 2014, Drs. Michael and Ronan Connolly, among others, looked into some of these issues. At that time, there was a resurgence of interest in determining what, if anything, accounts for the variations in ozone concentrations in the upper atmosphere over time and space, which had been hypothesized by Crutzen, Molina, and Rowland, among others, around 1973.

Ian Ashland · Answer

undefined Ozone in the stratosphere is primarily formed through the Chapman cycle, which involves the interaction of ultraviolet (UV) radiation with oxygen molecules (O2). UV radiation breaks apart oxygen molecules into two oxygen atoms, which can then react with other oxygen molecules to form ozone (O3). This process is balanced by the destruction of ozone by UV radiation and the recombination of oxygen atoms.