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How does the ozone layer filter out only ultraviolet rays?

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The electron is not "knocked out" of the oxygen molecule, the electron is just moved to a higher energy orbital of the same oxygen molecule. Since orbitals are quantized it takes a very specific energy to make the transition happen. read more

UV-B damage depends on the amount of atmospheric ozone that can act as a filter, the angle of the sun in the sky, and cloud cover, which shields the surface from some of the ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer is usually thinnest at the tropics and thickest towards the poles. read more

The ozone layer is very effective at screening out UV-B; for radiation with a wavelength of 290 nm, the intensity at Earth's surface is 350 million times weaker than at the top of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, some UV-B reaches the surface. read more

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