Chlorine Catalytic Ozone Destruction Cycle

This simulation renders the Rowland–Molina catalytic cycle that lets CFC-derived chlorine atoms destroy stratospheric ozone far out of proportion to their concentration. Free Cl radicals (yellow) drift through a 3D slab of stratosphere alongside ozone (green) and atomic oxygen (red); on contact with O₃ a Cl atom binds to become ClO (orange) and releases O₂, then on a later contact with atomic O it splits back into free Cl and more O₂ — completing the cycle without the chlorine itself being consumed. Sliders control the UV photolysis rate that feeds the atomic-oxygen pool, the number of active Cl catalysts, the temperature-linked reaction rate constant, and playback speed, while live readouts track the shrinking ozone population, the atomic-oxygen reservoir, the running count of completed catalytic cycles, and the average chain length per chlorine atom — the number that explains why a handful of catalysts can outpace natural ozone replenishment.