Radiative Transfer Modeling of Uranus' Atmospheric Structure at Equinox

Details Radiative Transfer Modeling of Uranus' Atmospheric Structure at Equinox Radiative Transfer Modeling of Uranus' Atmospheric Structure at Equinox

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.1401n&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #14.01

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We acquired near-infrared spectra of Uranus near equinox at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility in September 2006 and September 2007. These spectra, taken with SpeX (R=2000), probe Uranus' atmosphere between 0.8 and 2.4 microns. The position of the slit over the Uranian disk was varied to obtain spectra from all visible latitudes. Assessment of these observations has revealed that Uranus' atmospheric structure not only changes with latitude, but also underwent notable evolution near its 2007 equinox in the twelve-month time span between datasets (2009, Icarus, in press).
We now present results from an in-depth analysis of these observations using a radiative transfer code. This code creates synthetic spectra based on model atmospheres, and utilizes the band-model methane absorption coefficients determined by Irwin et al. (2006, Icarus 181, 309-319). Properties of Uranus' atmosphere, such as methane abundance and vertical structure, are varied to determine which conditions are best able to reproduce the observed spectra. We further determine what physical changes resulted in the temporal and latitudinal variations witnessed in Uranus' atmosphere.
This project was funded by a NASA Earth and Space Fellowship.

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