ODP is defined as what kind of relative comparison?

ODP is defined as what kind of relative comparison?

• A. A measure of a gas's potential to destroy stratospheric ozone relative to a reference substance.
• B. A measure of a gas's potential to trap heat in the atmosphere.
• C. The rate at which a gas is released into the environment.
• D. The total amount of ozone in the atmosphere

Answer: (A)

ODP expresses how effective a substance is at destroying stratospheric ozone relative to a reference substance. It’s a relative, dimensionless measure, with the reference set to 1.0; if a substance has an ODP of 1, it depletes ozone about as efficiently as the reference, while higher values indicate greater ozone-depleting potential and lower values indicate less. The value reflects the substance’s atmospheric lifetime and how it releases ozone-destroying halogens (like chlorine or bromine) that drive catalytic ozone destruction, integrated over time after emission. It is not a measure of how much heat a gas traps (that’s a different metric), nor the rate at which the gas is released, nor the total ozone amount in the atmosphere.

ODP expresses how effective a substance is at destroying stratospheric ozone relative to a reference substance. It’s a relative, dimensionless measure, with the reference set to 1.0; if a substance has an ODP of 1, it depletes ozone about as efficiently as the reference, while higher values indicate greater ozone-depleting potential and lower values indicate less. The value reflects the substance’s atmospheric lifetime and how it releases ozone-destroying halogens (like chlorine or bromine) that drive catalytic ozone destruction, integrated over time after emission. It is not a measure of how much heat a gas traps (that’s a different metric), nor the rate at which the gas is released, nor the total ozone amount in the atmosphere.