Scientists discover that the Earth’s atmosphere can clean itself

Researchers have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide, which breaks down pollutants.

Amid the constant, disheartening chatter of how climate change is threatening the planet’s survival, here’s a galvanising report to prevent you from falling victim to yet another bout of existential dread.

According to researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), the Earth’s atmosphere can clean itself.

The discovery, which could transform the way we think about air pollution, has been outlined in a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

It states that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) through a previously unknown process.

This unique set of atmospheric conditions is able to facilitate the atmosphere’s self-purification process by neutralising greenhouse gases and chemicals – even in the absence of sunlight.

As explained by Sergey Nizkorodov, a professor of chemistry at UCI, the presence of OH is essential to oxidise hydrocarbons and stop them from accumulating in the atmosphere.

It can also trigger reactions that decompose airborne pollutants and eliminate sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide.

Until recently, it was widely believed that OH is generated via photochemistry or metal catalysts, but the new findings challenge this assumption by proving that it can be created spontaneously.