What is the actual thickness of the ozone layer in kilometers?
Measurements of it are usually being done in Dobson Units, which are pretty confusing for lay people who would like to have an idea what the actual thickness is. A: The ozone layer, where the largest amount of ozone in the atmosphere is located, is from about 20 to 25 kilometers (12 to 15 miles) above the Earth’s surface. As the amounts of ozone vary, both from natural causes and because of destruction by substances humans add to the air, this “thickness” of the ozone layer stays the same, but there is more or less ozone in the layer over particular parts of the Earth. In other words, the “thickness” of the ozone layer doesn’t depend on how much ozone is in the air. Very little ozone is in the air, it accounts for only about 0.000008% of the gases in the air. But, that’s enough to block dangerous ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth.
