| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R37692/01 |
| Title: |
The Ion-molecule Chemistry of Iron in the Upper Athmosphere. |
| Principal Investigator: |
Plane, Professor JMC |
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| Department: |
Environmental Sciences |
| Organisation: |
University of East Anglia |
| Scheme: |
Postdoctoral Mobility PreFEC |
| Starts: |
01 July 2001 |
Ends: |
30 June 2002 |
Value (£): |
67,071
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Gas & Solution Phase Reactions |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The source of iron in the earth's upper atmosphere is the ablation of the roughly 120 tonnes of interplanetary dust that enters each day from stace. Above 85 km most of this iron is ionised and plays a central role in several plasma-related phenomena. For instance, sporadic E layers are thin, concentrated layers of (mostly) Fe+ that occur in the lower thermosphere between about 90 and 120 km and have a significant impact on radio communications. Fe+ ions are also most probably the source of sporadic neutral Fe layers, an explosive phenomenon observed by ground-based lidars. Fe-containing ions may also play a role in the formation of noctilucent clouds, high-altitude ice clouds that appear to be an early warning of climate change in the upper atmosphere. In all three cases, the lifetime of Fe+ against being neutralised to Fe, via cluster formation and dissociative recombination with electrons, is critical. However, a number of key reactions that control this lifetime have never been studied. This one-year postdoctoral mobility project will involve a laboratory kinetic investigation of these reactions, combined with atmospheric modelling.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.uea.ac.uk |