The 2016 Infrasound Wanaka Balloon Flight: Precursor to extraterrestrial acoustic research?

The spectacular 20-day balloon flight of a high altitude balloon, circumnavigating Antarctic in 2016 has produced a series of critical, new observations. A fortuitous hover over the source of the microbarom south of New Zealand can be used to estimate the heat flux into the upper atmosphere, testing early estimates by (Rind et al., 1977). Initial projections in the Southern Ocean suggest a flux of 0.05 mW/m² maximum acoustic energy generated from the ocean microbarom. Thermospheric heating calculations indicate a temperature rise of several degrees Kelvin per day while the source is active, agreeing with earlier estimates made in the 1970's. Estimates of spatial kernels of the ocean surface source indicate that crude integration is adequate to determine a response in the stratosphere. Thousands of higher frequency signals, some extending tens of seconds, have yet to be demonstrably associated with specific physical phenomena, although it has been demonstrated that balloon stations in the stratosphere reliably record sources on the earth's surface. Lightning strikes, recorded off the coast of New Zealand, have been observed at IMS surface arrays and the stratospheric balloon observatory. Balloon borne platforms and associated harsh environment technology is currently being proposed for extra-terrestrial seismological exploration of planets where ground installations are prohibitive (Venus and Jupiter).