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The 1.10- and 1.18-µm nightside windows of Venus observed by SPICAV-IR aboard Venus Express
Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Korablev, Oleg; Bézard, Bruno +2 more
Observations of the 1.10- and 1.18-µm nightside windows by the SPICAV-IR instrument aboard Venus Express were analyzed to characterize the various sources of gaseous opacity and determine the H 2O mole fraction in the lower atmosphere of Venus. We showed that the line profile model of Afanasenko and Rodin (Afanasenko, T.S., Rodin,…
An investigation of the SO 2 content of the venusian mesosphere using SPICAV-UV in nadir mode
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Marcq, Emmanuel +4 more
Using the SPICAV-UV spectrometer aboard Venus Express in nadir mode, we were able to derive spectral radiance factors in the middle atmosphere of Venus in the 170-320 nm range at a spectral resolution of R ≃ 200 during 2006 and 2007 in the northern hemisphere. By comparison with a radiative transfer model of the upper atmosphere of Venus, we could…
A layer of ozone detected in the nightside upper atmosphere of Venus
Vandaele, A. C.; Montmessin, F.; Fedorova, A. +7 more
To date, ozone has only been identified in the atmospheres of Earth and Mars. This study reports the first detection of ozone in the atmosphere of Venus by the SPICAV ultraviolet instrument onboard the Venus Express spacecraft. Venusian ozone is characterized by a vertically confined and horizontally variable layer residing in the thermosphere at …
Ion flow and momentum transfer in the Venus plasma environment
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +3 more
An analysis of ion data from 390 Venus Express, VEX, orbits demonstrates that the flow of solar wind- and ionospheric ions near Venus is characterized by a marked asymmetry. The flow asymmetry of solar wind H + and ionospheric O + points steadily in the opposite direction to the planet's orbital motion, and is most pronounced…
Half-widths, their temperature dependence, and line shifts for the HDO-CO 2 collision system for applications to CO 2-rich planetary atmospheres
Gamache, Robert R.; Laraia, Anne L.; Lamouroux, Julien
Measurements of water vapor in the atmospheres of Venus or Mars by spectroscopic techniques in the infrared range are being made routinely by instruments onboard the Venus Express and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The interpretation of these measurements in the 2250-4450 cm -1 region is being complicated by the presence of HDO lines …
Decadal variations in a Venus general circulation model
Lebonnois, Sebastien; Schubert, Gerald; Parish, Helen F. +3 more
The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM), a 3-dimensional Earth-based climate model, has been modified to simulate the dynamics of the Venus atmosphere. The most current finite volume version of CAM is used with Earth-related processes removed, parameters appropriate for Venus introduced, and some basic physics approximations adopted. A simplified New…
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at Venus: What is the unstable boundary?
Lammer, Helmut; Gröller, Hannes; Möstl, Ute V. +4 more
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability gained scientific attention after observations at Venus by the spacecraft Pioneer Venus Orbiter gave rise to speculations that the instability contributes to the loss of planetary ions through the formation of plasma clouds. Since then, a handful of studies were devoted to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the io…
Scattering particles in nightside limb observations of Venus’ upper atmosphere by Venus Express VIRTIS
Irwin, P. G. J.; Drossart, P.; Piccioni, G. +2 more
Nightside infrared limb spectra of the Venus upper atmosphere, obtained by Venus Express VIRTIS, show strong scattering of thermal radiation. This scattering of upward-going radiation into the line-of-sight is dominant below 82.5 km even at a wavelength of 5 µm, which is indicative of relatively large particles. We show that 1 µm-sized…
Vertical profile of H 2SO 4 vapor at 70-110 km on Venus and some related problems
Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A.
The vertical profile of H 2SO 4 vapor is calculated using current atmospheric and thermodynamic data. The atmospheric data include the H 2O profiles observed at 70-112 km by the SOIR solar occultations, the SPICAV-UV profiles of the haze extinction at 220 nm, the VeRa temperature profiles, and a typical profile of …