An international team of scientists from the US and the UK has discovered that concentrations of various metals in the Earth’s atmosphere have increased due to spacecraft launches. This could have consequences for our planet’s climate and ecology. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Experts examined air samples collected from an altitude of more than 25 kilometers. They found that the mass of lithium, aluminum, copper and lead they contained far exceeded the volume that could enter the stratosphere along with cosmic dust. About 10% of the large sulfuric acid particles that help protect the ozone layer contained traces of aluminum and other metals from the spacecraft.
“We are finding artificial materials in what was thought to be a pristine area of the atmosphere,” said Professor Dan Chickzo, one of the authors of the study.
Scientists estimate that up to 50 thousand more satellites could enter orbit by 2030. According to the team’s calculations, this means that in the next few decades up to half of stratospheric sulfuric acid particles will contain metal. It is not yet known what impact this might have on the atmosphere, the ozone layer, and life on Earth.
Previous researchers discovered The link between solar storms and space debris.