Question

1. how does the ozone layer help shield the earth? by rerouting some of the uv light, causing it to go around our planet by allowing all of the uv light to pass through by absorbing some of the uv light that harms living things by causing some of the uv light to bounce back into space

Explanation:

The ozone layer is a region in the Earth's stratosphere that contains a high concentration of ozone (\(O_3\)) molecules. Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can be harmful to living organisms on Earth. The ozone layer absorbs a significant portion of the harmful UV - B and UV - C rays.

• Option 1: "by rerouting some of the UV light, causing it to go around our planet" is incorrect. There is no mechanism by which the ozone layer reroutes UV light around the planet.
• Option 2: "by allowing all of the UV light to pass through" is wrong. If all UV light passed through, it would cause severe damage to life on Earth (e.g., skin cancer, damage to plants and plankton).
• Option 3: "by absorbing some of the UV light that harms living things" is correct. Ozone molecules (\(O_3\)) have the property of absorbing UV radiation in the 200 - 300 nm wavelength range (UV - B and part of UV - C), which are harmful to living organisms.
• Option 4: "by causing some of the UV light to bounce back into space" is incorrect. The main action of the ozone layer is absorption, not reflection.

Answer:

by absorbing some of the UV light that harms living things