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The accumulation rate of meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) in ice cores-determined from the trace elements Ir and Pt, and superparamagnetic Fe particles-is significantly higher than expected from the measured vertical fluxes of Na and Fe atoms in the upper mesosphere and the surface deposition of cosmic spherules. The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with the Community Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres has been used to simulate MSP production, transport, and deposition, using a global MSP input of 7.9 t d(-1) based on these other measurements. The modeled MSP deposition rates are smaller than the measurements by factors of similar to 32 in Greenland and similar to 12 in Antarctica, even after reanalysis of the Ir/Pt ice core data with inclusion of a volcanic source. Variations of the model deposition scheme and use of the United Kingdom Chemistry and Aerosols model do not improve the agreement. Direct removal of MSP-nucleated polar stratospheric cloud particles to the surface gives much better agreement, but would result in an unfeasibly high rate of nitrate deposition. The unablated fraction of cosmic dust (similar to 35 t d(-1)) would provide sufficient Ir and Pt to account for the Antarctic measurements, but the relatively small flux of these large (> 3 mu m) particles would lead to greater variability in the ice core measurements than is observed, although this would be partly offset if significant fragmentation of cosmic dust particles occurred during atmospheric entry. Future directions to resolve these discrepancies between models and measurements are also discussed.

Plain Language Summary About 40 t of space dust enters the atmosphere every day. Around 20% of the dust vaporizes during entry because the particles enter at speeds of over 40,000 kph. The resulting metal vapors (principally Fe, Mg, and Si) then oxidize and condense into tiny particles known as meteoric smoke, around 1 nm in radius. This study examines where the meteoric smoke is deposited at the Earth's surface. The smoke has been detected in polar ice cores, with a much higher deposition rate than expected from measurements in the upper atmosphere. A global circulation model was therefore used to analyze how the smoke is transported from around 80 km altitude and deposited in Greenland and Antarctica, mainly by snow. The model cannot satisfactorily account for either the absolute rate of deposition or the ratio of the deposition rates in the polar regions. A variety of explanations to account for this discrepancy are then explored, including a volcanic artifact in the ice cores, fragmentation of meteoroids, and a temporal change in the cosmic dust input.