OZONE AND OXIDES OF NITROGEN-PRODUCTION DURING THUNDERSTORMS

The amount of control necessary for a particular pollutant of anthropogenic origin at a site is dependent upon the uncontrollable contributions of the pollutant from natural sources. Thus it is important that the natural soucres of a particular pollutant be identified and that a quantitative assessment of their contribution be determined. With this aim, a theory on the production of ozone, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide during a thunderstorm is presented. The catalytic agents for the production of the molecules are lightning and point discharges. The concept of an efficiency parameter giving the number of molecules produced per unit of energy absorbed by the atmospheric constituents from lightning or point discharges is central to the theory. Values of the efficiency parameters are given for two cases. In one case the parameters are for atomic oxygen and nitrogen recombining with the atmospheric constituents. In the other case the parameters are for an equal number of neutral and ionized atomic species of oxygen and nitrogen recombining with the atmospheric constituents. Thunderstorms are likely to be important as a large interim source of ozone and oxides of nitrogen for areas near and in thunderstorms. If certain suggested reactions for the production of nitrous oxide are verified, thunderstorms could be an important worldwide source of nitrous oxide.