Blame It on Mother Nature

To determine the origin of ozone in the desolate South Atlantic region, the National Center for Atmospheric Research used satellites armed with sensitive instruments. They were surprised to discover this ozone had formed naturally from lightning. Lightning deposits large amounts of energy into the atmosphere, energy that can rip apart molecules of different gases. Oxygen molecules will split into two oxygen atoms. When one of those single atoms combines with another oxygen molecule, it forms O3 -- ozone. By learning where ozone comes from, scientists hope to develop better ways to improve air quality.