Editing Ozone–oxygen cycle (section)

{{Short description|Biogeochemical cycle}}
[[File:Ozone cycle.svg|thumb|350px|Ozone–oxygen cycle in the [[ozone layer]]:
1. Oxygen photolyzed to atomic oxygen
2. Oxygen and ozone continuously interconverted. Solar [[UV]] breaks down oxygen; molecular and atomic oxygen combine to form Ozone.
3. Ozone is lost by reaction with atomic oxygen (plus other trace atoms).]]
The '''ozone–[[oxygen cycle]]''' is the process by which [[ozone]] is continually regenerated in [[Earth]]'s [[stratosphere]], converting [[Ultraviolet|ultraviolet radiation]] (UV) into [[heat]]. In 1930 [[Sydney Chapman (astronomer)|Sydney Chapman]] resolved the [[chemistry]] involved. The process is commonly called the '''Chapman cycle''' by atmospheric scientists.

Most of the ozone production occurs in the tropical upper stratosphere and mesosphere. The total mass of ozone produced per day over the globe is about 400 million metric tons. The global mass of ozone is relatively constant at about 3 billion metric tons, meaning the Sun produces about 12% of the ozone layer each day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/~lizsmith/SEES/ozone/class/Chap_5/index.htm |title=Chapter 5: Stratospheric Photochemistry |access-date=2011-06-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727141412/http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/~lizsmith/SEES/ozone/class/Chap_5/index.htm |archive-date=2011-07-27 |work=Stratospheric Ozone: An Electronic Textbook }}</ref>