Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/43345
Title: Sampling interplanetary dust from Antarctic air
Authors: Taylor, Susan
Lever, J. H.
Burgess, K. D.
Stroud, R. M.
Brownlee, D. E.
Nittler, L. R.
Bardyn, A.
Alexander, C. M. O’D.
Farley, K. A.
Treffkorn, J.
Messenger, S.
Wozniakiewicz, P. J.
Keywords: Interplanetary dust
Antarctica
Amundsen Scott South Pole Station (Antarctica)
Air sampling apparatus
Filters and filtration
Publisher: Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: Miscellaneous Paper (Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)) ; no. ERDC/CRREL MP-22-1
Is Version Of: Taylor, Susan, J. H. Lever, K. D. Burgess, R. M. Stroud, D. E. Brownlee, Larry R. Nittler, A. Bardyn et al. "Sampling interplanetary dust from Antarctic air." Meteoritics & Planetary Science 55, no. 5 (2020): 1128-1145. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13483
Abstract: We built a collector to filter interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) larger than 5 µm from the clean air at the Amundsen Scott South Pole station. Our sampling strategy used long duration, continuous dry filtering of near-surface air in place of short duration, high-speed impact collection on flags flown in the stratosphere. We filtered ~107 m³ of clean Antarctic air through 20 cm diameter, 3 µm filters coupled to a suction blower of modest power consumption (5–6 kW). Our collector ran continuously for 2 years and yielded 41 filters for analyses. Based on stratospheric concentrations, we predicted that each month’s collection would provide 300–900 IDPs for analysis. We identified 19 extraterrestrial (ET) particles on the 66 cm² of filter examined, which represented ~0.5% of the exposed filter surfaces. The 11 ET particles larger than 5 µm yield about a fifth of the expected flux based on >5 µm stratospheric ET particle flux. Of the 19 ET particles identified, four were chondritic porous IDPs, seven were FeNiS beads, two were FeNi grains, and six were chondritic material with FeNiS components. Most were <10 µm in diameter and none were cluster particles. Additionally, a carbon-rich candidate particle was found to have a small ¹⁵N isotopic enrichment, supporting an ET origin. Many other candidate grains, including chondritic glasses and C-rich particles with Mg and Si and FeS grains, require further analysis to determine if they are ET. The vast majority of exposed filter surfaces remain to be examined.
Description: Miscellaneous Paper
Gov't Doc #: ERDC/CRREL MP-22-1
Rights: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/43345
http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/43345
Appears in Collections:Miscellaneous Paper

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