Meteorite concentrations in Antarctica: Sites of Katabatic Wind Ablation?

Blue ice fields on Antarctica have yielded over 10,000 fragments of extraterrestrial material, yet the mechanism for these concentrations remains enigmatic. Focus has been placed on the role of glaciological processes; I here propose that meteorological processes are also significant. Katabatic winds possess the necessary attributes to account for substantial sublimation of the ice in very localized zones. Recent studies indicate that these winds have distinct confluences along the coastal slopes of the Antarctic plateau. A tentative correlation of these with meteorite accumulations is suggested (Figure 1), though more year‐round surveillance of the local wind regimes is required before a working hypothesis can be proposed.