Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the upper Earth's atmosphere using cosmic spherules

Andreas Pack; Andres Höweling; Dominik C. Hezel; Maren T. Stefanak; Anne Katrin Beck; Stefan T.M. Peters; Sukanya Sengupta; Daniel Herwartz; Luigi Folco

doi:10.1038/ncomms15702

Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the upper Earth's atmosphere using cosmic spherules

Andreas Pack
, Andres Höweling
, Dominik C. Hezel
, Maren T. Stefanak
, Anne Katrin Beck
, Stefan T.M. Peters
, Sukanya Sengupta
, Daniel Herwartz
, Luigi Folco

Science Institute

University of Iceland

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Molten I-Type cosmic spherules formed by heating, oxidation and melting of extraterrestrial Fe,Ni metal alloys. The entire oxygen in these spherules sources from the atmosphere. Therefore, I-Type cosmic spherules are suitable tracers for the isotopic composition of the upper atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 115 km. Here we present data on I-Type cosmic spherules collected in Antarctica. Their composition is compared with the composition of tropospheric O 2. Our data suggest that the Earth's atmospheric O 2 is isotopically homogenous up to the thermosphere. This makes fossil I-Type micrometeorites ideal proxies for ancient atmospheric CO 2 levels.

Original language	English
Article number	15702
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15702
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2017

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title = "Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the upper Earth's atmosphere using cosmic spherules",

abstract = "Molten I-Type cosmic spherules formed by heating, oxidation and melting of extraterrestrial Fe,Ni metal alloys. The entire oxygen in these spherules sources from the atmosphere. Therefore, I-Type cosmic spherules are suitable tracers for the isotopic composition of the upper atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 115 km. Here we present data on I-Type cosmic spherules collected in Antarctica. Their composition is compared with the composition of tropospheric O 2. Our data suggest that the Earth's atmospheric O 2 is isotopically homogenous up to the thermosphere. This makes fossil I-Type micrometeorites ideal proxies for ancient atmospheric CO 2 levels.",

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doi = "10.1038/ncomms15702",

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T1 - Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the upper Earth's atmosphere using cosmic spherules

AU - Pack, Andreas

AU - Höweling, Andres

AU - Hezel, Dominik C.

AU - Stefanak, Maren T.

AU - Beck, Anne Katrin

AU - Peters, Stefan T.M.

AU - Sengupta, Sukanya

AU - Herwartz, Daniel

AU - Folco, Luigi

PY - 2017/6/1

Y1 - 2017/6/1

N2 - Molten I-Type cosmic spherules formed by heating, oxidation and melting of extraterrestrial Fe,Ni metal alloys. The entire oxygen in these spherules sources from the atmosphere. Therefore, I-Type cosmic spherules are suitable tracers for the isotopic composition of the upper atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 115 km. Here we present data on I-Type cosmic spherules collected in Antarctica. Their composition is compared with the composition of tropospheric O 2. Our data suggest that the Earth's atmospheric O 2 is isotopically homogenous up to the thermosphere. This makes fossil I-Type micrometeorites ideal proxies for ancient atmospheric CO 2 levels.

AB - Molten I-Type cosmic spherules formed by heating, oxidation and melting of extraterrestrial Fe,Ni metal alloys. The entire oxygen in these spherules sources from the atmosphere. Therefore, I-Type cosmic spherules are suitable tracers for the isotopic composition of the upper atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 115 km. Here we present data on I-Type cosmic spherules collected in Antarctica. Their composition is compared with the composition of tropospheric O 2. Our data suggest that the Earth's atmospheric O 2 is isotopically homogenous up to the thermosphere. This makes fossil I-Type micrometeorites ideal proxies for ancient atmospheric CO 2 levels.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85020000112

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DO - 10.1038/ncomms15702

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SN - 2041-1723

VL - 8

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 15702

ER -

Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the upper Earth's atmosphere using cosmic spherules

Abstract

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