Meridional Circulation and the Formation ofClouds on Venus

Imamura, T., and G.L. Hashimoto, Venus cloud formation in themeridional circulation, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 31,349-31,366, 1998.

Other Cloud Papers:

Krasnopolsky, V.A., and J.B. Pollack, H2O-H2SO4 system in Venus'clouds and OCS, CO and H2SO4 profiles in Venus' troposphere,Icarus 109, 58-78, 1994.

James, E.P., O.B. Toon, and G. Schubert, A numerical microphysicalmodel of the condensational Venus cloud, Icarus 129, 147-171, 1997.

Other Atmospheric Dynamics Papers:

Schubert, G., C. Covey, A. Del Genio, L.S. Elson, R.D. Haskins, D.J.McCleese, J.V. Martonchik, P.E. Reichley, S.P. Bradley, J.Delderfield, J.T. Schofield, C.B. Farmer, L. Froidevaux, J. Leung,M.T. Coffey, and J.C. Gille, Structure and Circulation of the VenusAtmosphere, J. Geophys. Res. 85, 8007-8025, 1980.

Gierasch, P.J., R.M. Goody, R.E. Young, D. Crisp, C. Edwards, R.Kahn, D. Rider, A. Del Genio, R. Greeley, A. Hou, C.B. Leovy, D.McCleese, and M. Newman, The General Circulation of the VenusAtmosphere: An Assessment, in Venus II, edited by S.W. Bougher,D.M. Hunten, and R.J. Phillips, pp. 459-500, University of ArizonaPress, Tucson, 1997.

Conclusions

1. Poleward transport of H2SO4/H2O dropletsin the upper atmosphere produces a thick uppercloud at high latitudes.

2. Large scale ascent of vapor H2SO4 at lowlatitudes forms a dense lower cloud.

4. Equatorward transport of H2SO4 vaporbelow the clouds + lower cloud particlesedimentation enhances H2SO4 abundancebelow the clouds at low latitudes.

3. The middle cloud is formed by thecondensation of H2SO4 vapor transportedupward by convective mixing.