Ultraviolet light measurements (280–400 nm) acquired from stratospheric balloon flight to assess influence on bioaerosols
Name
10453_2019_9597_ReferencePDF.pdf
Size
774.87 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ef63a77fc04669d9b9c0b84537b4f3c2
Author(s)
Caro, Tristan A
Wendeln, Matthew
Freeland, Matthew
Bryan, Noelle
Waters, Samantha M
McIntyre, Alexa
Nicoll, Patrick
Madronich, Sasha
Smith, David J
Date Issued
June 24, 2019
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Abstract
Viable microorganisms collected from the Earth’s upper atmosphere are mysterious considering the intensely biocidal ultraviolet (UV) light conditions dominating rarefied air. Historically, most investigations examining the relationship between bioaerosols and UV conditions in the upper atmosphere have relied upon model-generated data. To address the shortage of in situ UV measurements in the upper troposphere and lower/middle stratosphere, we flew a meteorological balloon equipped with a UV radiometer and other core environmental sensors. The balloon payload launched from Illinois, USA, on October 6, 2018, and acquired UVA (315–400 nm) + UVB (280–315 nm) measurements for ~ 2 h up to 30.9 km. Above the atmospheric boundary layer, UVA + UVB values registered around 6 mW cm−2, results that were largely consistent with Tropospheric Ultraviolet–Visible model predictions. Performed in a low-cost, reusable manner with commercially available instruments, we show that reliable UV flux data can be acquired with meteorological balloon payload systems. This short communication provides relevant UVA + UVB results for aerobiology and astrobiology studies evaluating the survivability of microorganisms in the upper atmosphere.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-019-09597-9
