‘The man who vacuum cleaned the Atlantic’ – the aerosol collector and Gunnar Erdtman’s attempts to measure pollen rain

ABSTRACTIn 1937, the Swedish palynologist Gunnar Erdtman (1897–1973) mounted two adapted vacuum cleaners atop an ocean-going liner and set out to obtain air samples as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The devices were able to capture samples of airborne pollen which were related to air volume and distance from land. The results of this investigation are still cited in the scientific literature, but a study of some overlooked publications demonstrates that the ocean study had land-based antecedents. Furthermore, archival investigation reveals the background to such studies, including the technical plans for Erdtman’s ‘aerosol collector’, records of raw data from the voyage, draft portions of the key publication, photographs and the precise location of the land-based equipment. A storage loft in the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm has been found to house the surviving aerosol collector.KEYWORDS: Gunnar Erdtmanarchiveslong distance pollen rainNorth Atlantic Oceanvacuum cleaneraerosol collectorhistory of scienceDisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. Additional informationNotes on contributorsKevin J. Edwards KEVIN J. EDWARDS holds degrees from the Universities of St Andrews (MA, DSc) and Aberdeen (PhD). He is Emeritus Professor in physical geography and adjunct chair in archaeology in the University of Aberdeen, adjunct professor in the Graduate Center, City University of New York, and, at the University of Cambridge, Fellow Commoner of Clare Hall, Senior Fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and Emeritus Associate of the Scott Polar Research Institute. He has held academic posts and visiting research positions in a number of universities including those of Queen’s Belfast, Birmingham, Sheffield, Minnesota, Copenhagen and Oxford. A palynologist with a strong involvement in multidisciplinary Quaternary science, his interests include human-environment interactions during Lateglacial and Holocene times in Britain and Ireland, Norse impacts upon the landscapes of the North Atlantic region, methodology, and the history of science.Pia Östensson PIA ÖSTENSSON is curator of the Palynological Laboratory in the Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring of the Naturhistoriska riksmuseet (Swedish Museum of Natural History) in Stockholm. A graduate in biology (plant systematics) from Stockholm University, she administers the pollen monitoring network for central Sweden and has extensive experience of aerobiology and forecasting based on airborne pollen sampling, plant phenology, and long distance palynomorph transport. Her previous posts have included the teaching of floristics at Stockholm University, scientific consultancy, and senior assistant of collections for the Linnean herbarium in the Department of Phanerogamic Botany in the Naturhistoriska riksmuseet. She was the botanist and illustrator for the book System och passion: Linné och drömmen om Naturens ordning.