Measurements of the vertical fluxes of atomic Fe and Na at the mesopause: Implications for the velocity of cosmic dust entering the atmosphere

Abstract

The downward fluxes of Fe and Na, measured near the mesopause with the University of Colorado lidars near Boulder, and a chemical ablation model developed at the University of Leeds, are used to constrain the velocity/mass distribution of the meteoroids entering the atmosphere and to derive an improved estimate for the global influx of cosmic dust. We find that the particles responsible for injecting a large fraction of the ablated material into the Earth's upper atmosphere enter at relatively slow speeds and originate primarily from the Jupiter Family of Comets. The global mean Na influx is 17,200 ± 2800 atoms/cm 2 /s, which equals 298 ± 47 kg/d for the global input of Na vapor and 150 ± 38 t/d for the global influx of cosmic dust. The global mean Fe influx is 102,000 ± 18,000 atoms/cm 2 /s, which equals 4.29 ± 0.75 t/d for the global input of Fe vapor. Key Points Small Fe/Na flux ratio indicates cosmic dust enters atmosphere at slow velocity The majority of the mass influx originates from the Jupiter Family of Comets The total cosmic dust influx is estimated to be 150 ± 38 t/d