The correct option is
A stratospheric
A blanket of air present around the Earth is called the atmosphere.
The atmosphere can be divided into five layers.
These layers are as follows:
Troposphere - This layer of the atmosphere is close to the surface of the earth. It extends about 10 km above the earth’s surface.
Stratosphere - This atmospheric layer extends to about 50 km above the earth's surface.
Mesosphere - It is the region above the stratosphere. It extends about 80 km above the surface of earth.
Thermosphere - It lies above the mesosphere and extends about 80 - 480 km above the surface of earth.
Exosphere – It extends about 500 km from the earth’s surface. It includes outer space.
Figure: Layers of the atmosphere
The concentration of the ozone varies across different layers of the atmosphere.
Ozone that exists in the troposphere (tropospheric ozone) is a pollutant. It is harmful to plants and animals and hence is referred to as bad ozone.
Most of the ozone is concentrated in the stratosphere and this layer of ozone in the stratosphere is called stratospheric ozone. It is called good ozone as it acts as a shield by absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
But unfortunately, human activities led to the emission and accumulation of gases that have caused the depletion of the ozone layer. Although the depletion of ozone is occurring widely in the stratosphere, there is a formation of a large area of thinned ozone layer, commonly called the ozone hole in the region of Antarctica.
The pollutants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are majorly responsible for the formation of the ozone hole. These pollutants enter into the stratosphere and deplete the ozone layer by converting ozone (O
3) to oxygen (O
2).
Hence, option a is correct.