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Brief Communications
Nature 411, 1015 (28 June 2001) | doi:10.1038/35082634
Microclimate: Formation of ozone by fireworks
Arun K. Attri1, Ujjwal Kumar1 & V. K. Jain1
Abstract
Ozone is a secondary pollutant and greenhouse gas that is formed from molecular oxygen in the presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides. The extent of production also depends on the presence of volatile hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and methane1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. But we have discovered a surprising source of ozone which is generated in spontaneous bursts even in the absence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides — namely, the exuberant mass of colour-emitting sparklers that are lit during the Diwali festivities, which take place every year during October and November in Delhi, India. The underlying process of ozone formation resembles that induced by ultraviolet radiation in the stratosphere7, 8.
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