Library of Air
Cape Grim Air Archive-Tasmania
At the northern tip of Tasmania, a bottle of air is archived every few months, going back to 1978. The location, Kennaook / Cape Grim, has the “cleanest air in the world” when the breeze is blowing from the southwest, and the air has traveled over thousands of miles without touching land. Hence, the specimens are considered “background air” and useful for tracking changes over time in our atmosphere. Samples can be drawn from the tanks from different years, particularly as new technologies develop and new measurements are needed.1
The project is coordinated by the Cape Grim Air Archive.2 The first Cape Grim Air Archive (CGAA) sample was collected on April 26, 1978. Regular sampling has continued ever since with typically 4-6 cylinders filled each year. At present there are about 170 CGAA cylinders in storage and available for future analyses.3
The library also takes donations, and patrons have sent in their own bottled air, in the form of scuba tanks dating back as far as 1956. More details in the video below.4
David Crotty, A Library of Air - The Scholarly Kitchen (sspnet.org) February 3, 2023.
The Cape Grim Air Archive is a project of the Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry group of Australia’s National Science Agency— CSIRO -The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
David Crotty, A Library of Air - The Scholarly Kitchen (sspnet.org) February 3, 2023.
Wow--this is fascinating! It reminds me a bit of the ice cores that researchers take from glaciers, and the tiny air bubbles from thousands of years ago that are trapped inside. Thank you for teaching me something new!
No I have not been there but I will make a special visit next time I am down that way and try and get you some photos!