4 ms·
> We find that the population of reentering satellites in 2022 caused a 29.5% increase of aluminum in the atmosphere above the natural level, resulting in aroun
by LeifCarrotson 2y ago
> We find that the population of reentering satellites in 2022 caused a 29.5% increase of aluminum in the atmosphere above the natural level, resulting in around 17 metric tons of aluminum oxides injected into the mesosphere...
On the scale of the planet, that's incredibly tiny. 17 metric tons of aluminum oxide can be made by oxidizing a cube of aluminum about 1 meter on a side. The catalytic action must be incredibly potent!
Wolfram helpfully tells me that the mass of the mesosphere is on the order of 10^12 tons, so that's on the order of parts per trillion.
- shadowgovt 2y agoIt's tiny, but it may be enough if the wind currents are concentrating it, as happened with CFCs doing away with the ozone layer over the South Pole.
- ls612 2y agoIt’s tiny compared to the mass of natural debris which enters the atmosphere as well. This is just SpaceX NIMBYism tbh.