The structure of the atmosphere of Uranus

Details The structure of the atmosphere of Uranus The structure of the atmosphere of Uranus

Mar 1977

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1977icar...30..462d&link_type=abstract

Icarus, vol. 30, Mar. 1977, p. 462-478.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

14

Astronomical Models, Atmospheric Models, Methane, Planetary Atmospheres, Uranus (Planet), Abundance, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, Hydrogen, Neptune (Planet), Planetary Composition

Scientific paper

Models of the interior of Uranus suggest that the abundances of such substances as CH4 are greatly enhanced with respect to solar abundances of heavy elements. Such enhancement leads to a new type of model atmosphere for Uranus, which agrees with observation if the internal energy flux is small (no more than 10%) compared with the absorbed solar energy. An important feature of the models is the presence of a cloud of CH4 droplets whose top is at a temperature of approximately 90 K and a pressure of about 4 atm. Above the cloud, the atmosphere is stable because of the rapid decrease in the thermal flux with depth. Being saturated, most of the observable gaseous CH4 is near the cloud; the CH4 abundance above the cloud, of the order of 5 km-am, is a very sensitive function of the cloud-top temperature.

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