A group of Spanish scientists conducted a study on the evolution of the discontinuity of Venus’s clouds, discovering that they propagate a tsunami, which could significantly contribute to the acceleration of the planet’s fast-moving atmosphere. The discontinuity can propagate up to several hours to about 70 km above the surface of Venus, where it was previously observed only in the deepest clouds. The winds on Venus act as a physical barrier for wave propagation where the winds have the same speed as the wave. The scientists were surprised to find that the winds in the high clouds with Akatsuki were unusually slow in the first half of 2022, several times slower than the discontinuity itself. The study provides valuable information on the evolution of Venus’s clouds and the role of the tsunami in the acceleration of its fast-moving atmosphere, which could help explain the superrotation observed in the planet’s atmosphere.
‘Tsunami’ in Venus’s Clouds May Explain its Fast-moving Atmosphere
A group of scientists from the Universities of Seville and Basque Country in Spain has led the first-ever detailed study of the evolution of the discontinuity of Venus’s clouds, similar to a gigantic atmospheric wave. They found that the deepest clouds on Venus propagate a tsunami that may significantly contribute to the acceleration of its fast-moving atmosphere. The researchers observed Venus non-stop for over 100 days using the Ultraviolet Imaging (UVI) camera on board the 2022 Japanese mission Akatsuki to observe the planet’s highest clouds.
The team discovered that the discontinuity could propagate for up to several hours to around 70 km above the planet’s surface, whereas it was previously observed only in the deepest clouds. The wind speed acts as a physical barrier for the wave propagation where the winds have the same speed as the wave. However, since Venus’s winds gradually increase with height and have higher speeds than the discontinuity at the peak of the clouds, it tries to propagate upwards but eventually dissipates as it meets the obstacle.
The scientists were surprised to find that the winds in the high clouds with Akatsuki were unusually slow in the first half of 2022, several times slower than the discontinuity itself. And if the winds grow much more slowly with height, the discontinuity takes longer to find atmospheric regions as fast as itself, allowing it to propagate to higher altitudes. “Measuring the winds on Venus is essential to try to explain why Venus’s atmosphere spins 60 times faster than the surface,” said Javier Peralta, an astrophysicist from the University of Seville.
Peralta explained that this atmospheric phenomenon is called superrotation, which also happens on Saturn’s moon Titan and many exoplanets. But after over half a century of research, it is still unsatisfactorily explained. The researchers published their findings in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
In conclusion, this study provides crucial information on the evolution of Venus’s clouds and the role played by the tsunami in the acceleration of its fast-moving atmosphere. This information could help explain superrotation, a mysterious phenomenon observed in the planet’s atmosphere, as well as on Saturn’s moon Titan and many exoplanets.
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