Which ozone is associated with photochemical smog?

Which ozone is associated with photochemical smog?

• A. Stratospheric ozone
• B. Ground-level ozone
• C. Tropospheric ozone
• D. N2O

Answer: (C)

Photochemical smog comes from ozone that forms in the lower part of the atmosphere under sunlight. This ozone is in the troposphere, the air we breathe near the surface, where reactions between sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds from vehicles and industry produce ground-level ozone. The stratosphere, higher up, contains ozone that protects us from UV radiation and isn’t involved in smog. N2O is a different compound (nitrous oxide) and isn’t ozone. So the ozone tied to photochemical smog is tropospheric ozone, the same often described as ground-level ozone.

Photochemical smog comes from ozone that forms in the lower part of the atmosphere under sunlight. This ozone is in the troposphere, the air we breathe near the surface, where reactions between sunlight, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds from vehicles and industry produce ground-level ozone. The stratosphere, higher up, contains ozone that protects us from UV radiation and isn’t involved in smog. N2O is a different compound (nitrous oxide) and isn’t ozone. So the ozone tied to photochemical smog is tropospheric ozone, the same often described as ground-level ozone.