The dynamics of the atmosphere of Venus

Computer Science

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Atmospheric Circulation, Atmospheric Temperature, Rossby Regimes, Venus Atmosphere, Benard Cells, Lower Atmosphere, Momentum Transfer, Temperature Profiles, Upper Atmosphere

Scientific paper

The wide range of radiative time scales in the Venus atmosphere together with observations of temperature structure and winds indicate that the atmosphere contains two distinct regimes. In the deep atmosphere at altitudes below 40 km, diurnal effects are negligible, motions are weak, and the lapse rate is near-adiabatic. In the upper atmosphere, at altitudes above 70 km, diurnal effects are important, strong retrograde zonal motions of the order of 100 m/s occur, and the lapse rate is sub-adiabatic. The transition region between these regimes is complicated by the presence of two layers of small-scale turbulence at altitudes of 45 and 60 km. Analytical and numerical studies show that the Hadley-cell hypothesis for the circulations in the deep atmosphere is consistent with all the observations, provided that the greenhouse effect is strong enough to explain the high surface temperatures. Suggestions for explaining the strong zonal motions in the upper atmosphere include the 'moving flame' mechanism, the instability of diurnal convective cells to a mean shear, tidal forcing, momentum transport by internal gravity waves, and momentum transport by a Hadley cell. The location and properties of the two layers of small-scale turbulence suggest the possibility that the lower one is generated by local shear instability, and the upper one by local convection.

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