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A Method for Sampling Microplastics and Extremophiles in the Stratosphere
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This engineering paper describes the design of a balloon-borne instrument intended to sample and analyze microplastics and extremophilic organisms in the stratosphere at altitudes of 20 to 30 kilometers. The system uses bellows-driven air filtration and Raman spectroscopy for particle analysis.
The Microplastics and Extremophiles team under the University of Houston’s Undergraduate Student Instrument Project intends to determine the concentration and composition of microplastics and extremophiles in the stratosphere. The team is designing a balloon-borne instrument that will filter stratospheric air from an altitude of 20 km to 30 km. Air will be forced through the filters by the expansion and compression of a bellows. A series of ground collectors will also be used to collect microplastics deposited from the atmosphere. Samples of microplastics will be analyzed via Raman spectroscopy and samples of extremophiles will be analyzed via PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing.
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