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Ultraviolet light measurements (280–400 nm) acquired from stratospheric balloon flight to assess influence on bioaerosols

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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.

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Acknowledgements

Our study was supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program and a grant from NASA Planetary Protection (15-PPR15-0007). The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. We thank Moshe Levy from Solar Light Co., Inc., for his assistance with radiometer calibration and data logging discussions. We acknowledge Dr. Britt Koskella and Dr. Steven Lindow for their insights and project support. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the US government. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the US government and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, 5112 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Tristan A. Caro

  2. 4941 N. Troy Street, #3, Chicago, IL, 60625, USA

    Matthew Wendeln

  3. 240 Sidney Street, #111, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Matthew Freeland

  4. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, 54-918, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Noelle Bryan

  5. Universities Space Research Association, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    Samantha M. Waters

  6. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Alexa McIntyre

  7. Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    Patrick Nicoll

  8. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA

    Sasha Madronich

  9. Space Biosciences Division, NASA Ames Research Center, M/S: SCR-239, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA

    David J. Smith

Authors
  1. Tristan A. Caro
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  2. Matthew Wendeln
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  3. Matthew Freeland
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  4. Noelle Bryan
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  5. Samantha M. Waters
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  6. Alexa McIntyre
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  7. Patrick Nicoll
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  8. Sasha Madronich
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  9. David J. Smith
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Correspondence to David J. Smith.

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Caro, T.A., Wendeln, M., Freeland, M. et al. Ultraviolet light measurements (280–400 nm) acquired from stratospheric balloon flight to assess influence on bioaerosols. Aerobiologia 35, 771–776 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-019-09597-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-019-09597-9

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