Ozone is created primarily by ultraviolet radiation. The air in the stratosphere is bombarded continuously with ultraviolet radiation from the sun. A freed oxygen atom then can react with an oxygen molecule and form a molecule of ozone. In the presence of certain other molecules, however, ozone can be destroyed.
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Over the EarthΓÇÖs lifetime, natural processes have regulated the balance of ozone in the stratosphere. As long as ozone is being created at the same rate that it is being destroyed, the total amount of ozone will remain the same.
