Trees such as lilac, aspen, ash, and white pine are also injured by ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone can cause the leaves to fall off these plants, prevent the plants from growing very big, or even cause the plants to die. Then the humans, animals, and insects - like the Monarch butterfly that depend on these plants may not have as much food or shelter. In California this has been shown to have a serious impact on the entire ecosystem. Stratospheric ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms, and has no color, no taste, and not much odor.
Stratospheric ozone is the same chemical as ground level ozone.
One is up high, one is nearby. The atmosphere of the Earth is divided into layers. Each layer is a little different. Stratospheric ozone is found in the stratosphere, a layer of air way up in the atmosphere. The ozone in this layer of air protects plants, animals, and us by blocking the most harmful rays of the sun.