Besides harm to human health, which environmental effect is expected from stratospheric ozone depletion?
Environmental impacts · EPA 608 Core. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
How CFCs and HCFCs destroy stratospheric ozone, and what that does to health and the environment.
The question
Besides harm to human health, which environmental effect is expected from stratospheric ozone depletion?
- Lower crop yields and harm to ocean planktonCorrect answer
- Faster growth of forests and grasslands
- Cooler summers across most of the world
- Less acid rain over industrial areas
Why “Lower crop yields and harm to ocean plankton” is correct
Extra ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface can damage crops and harm plankton and other marine life near the ocean surface. Because plankton sit at the base of the ocean food chain, the damage can spread to fish and other species.
Source: EPA: Test Topics
Why the other answers are wrong
- Faster growth of forests and grasslands — More UV harms plants; it does not make them grow faster.
- Cooler summers across most of the world — Ozone depletion is not a cause of cooler summers.
- Less acid rain over industrial areas — Acid rain comes from sulfur and nitrogen emissions, not from ozone loss.
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