A global team of researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom has found that metal levels in the Earths atmosphere are rising as a result of space launches. The finding signals possible effects on the planets climate and ecosystems. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a respected scientific journal.
Researchers analyzed air samples taken from altitudes above 25 kilometers. They detected lithium, aluminum, copper and lead in amounts that exceed what could be expected from natural dust and other atmospheric inputs. About one in ten of the large sulfuric acid particles, which help shield the ozone layer, contained aluminum and other metals traced to spacecraft activities.
According to one of the studys authors, Professor Dan Chickzo, artificial materials are now present in a region once believed to be pristine and far from human influence.
Forecasts suggest that as many as 50,000 additional satellites could be launched into orbit by 2030. The researchers estimate that in the coming decades up to half of the stratospheric sulfuric acid particles may carry metallic contaminants. The potential consequences for the atmosphere, the ozone layer, and life on Earth are not yet understood and warrant close monitoring (citation: Research Team, 2024).
Previous work has connected solar storms with debris from space, highlighting how dynamics in near-Earth space can interact with atmospheric processes.