Ozone DIALs are active remote sensors that are capable of measuring ozone concentrations in the atmosphere with high temporal and spatial resolution. ETL operates two ozone DIAL systems, a ground-based ozone DIAL and an airborne ozone DIAL , which have been deployed to many field projects in the United States to study ozone pollution. The complex meteorological and chemical processes taking place in the region are still not well understood, and the most cost-effective route toward attainment of the ambient air quality standards has not been determined. Its primary objectives are to study the formation of ozone in the southern United States and to evaluate alternative strategies for its reduction. This high-altitude ozone helps to protect life on earth from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation coming to us from the sun.
Plants are even more sensitive to ozone than humans.
Ozone also causes damage to certain materials, e.g. rubber wears down much more quickly if exposed to high ozone concentrations. In addition, because the photolysis of ozone initiates most reactions in tropospheric photochemistry, ozone concentration is a key factor in the control of atmospheric oxidation, which in turn influences the concentrations of other radiatively important gas species. Ozone pollution continues to be one of the most pervasive and stubborn environmental problems.