Context:
An international team of scientists, including from India, has discovered strong evidence indicating the presence of ozone on Jupiter’s moon Callisto
Importance of the discovery:
- The discovery of ozone on Callisto suggests the presence of oxygen, which in turn is a fundamental ingredient required for the formation of complex molecules required for life
Ozone:
- Composed of 3 oxygen atoms bonded together.
- The ozone layer, found in the lower part of the earth’s stratosphere, around 15-35 km above ground, serves as a shield.
- Without the ozone layer, ultraviolet radiation levels would be much higher on the planet’s surface, rendering it uninhabitable for many species and disrupting entire ecosystems.
Impacts of Ultra violet radiation:
- Not all emissions from the Sun benefit organisms on Earth.
- Ultraviolet radiation, in particular, poses harm to many species, although it can also be beneficial to some.
- Two of its segments, known as ultraviolet-B and ultraviolet-C, with wavelengths ranging from 290 to 320 nanometers and 100 to 280 nanometers respectively, have the potential to harm DNA, induce mutations, and heighten the risk of skin cancer and cataracts in humans.
Galilean satellites
- The Galilean moons or Galilean satellites, are the 4 largest moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
- Named after Galileo Galilei, who observed them and recognized them as satellites of Jupiter for the first time.
Callisto
- Callisto (Jupiter IV) is the 2nd largest moon of Jupiter, after Ganymede.
- 3rd largest moon after Ganymede and Saturn’s largest moon Titan in the Solar System
Read more:
How volcanic eruptions impact ozone layer?
Source: The Hindu
Previous year questions
Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) Bretton Woods Conference
(b) Montreal Protocol
(c) Kyoto Protocol
(d) Nagoya Protocol
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The Montreal Protocol provides a set of practical, actionable tasks to phase out ozone- depleting substances. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
