Abstract
CONSIDERABLE amounts of energy are dissipated in the upper atmosphere of the Earth by such geophysical phenomena as aurora, air glow and particulate bombardment. It is generally believed1 that the dissipation of this energy leads to the formation of chemical species among which are oxides of nitrogen or their corresponding charge species. If these chemical species could reach the surface of the Earth they would contribute nitrate and nitrite to the biosphere. One of the aims of the Eighth Victoria University Antarctic Expedition was to estimate the magnitude of this effect by the chemical analysis of snow at the South Pole.
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References
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WILSON, A., HOUSE, D. Fixation of Nitrogen by Aurora and its Contribution to the Nitrogen Balance of the Earth. Nature 205, 793–794 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/205793b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/205793b0
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