Ozone layer stratospheric wind patterns. In the northern hemisphere these patterns, known as the Brewer-Dobson circulation, make the ozone layer thickest in the spring and thinnest in the fall. When ozone in produced by solar UV radiation in the tropics, it is done so by circulation lifting ozone-poor air out of the troposphere and into the stratosphere where the sun photolyzes oxygen molecules and turns them into ozone. Then, the ozone-rich air is carried to higher latitudes and drops into lower layers of the atmosphere. Research has found that the ozone levels in the United States are highest in the spring months
Ozone monitor Ozone monitor An ozone monitor is electronic equipment that monitors for ozone concentrations in the air. The instrument may be used to monitor ozone values for industrial applications or to determine the amount of ambient ozone at ground level and determine whether these values violate National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The ozone molecule absorbs ultraviolet radiation, and most ozone monitors utilized in regulatory applications use ultraviolet absorption to accurately quantify ozone levels. An ozone monitor of this type operates by pulling an air sample from the atmosphere into the machine with an air pump. During one cycle, the ozone