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The Dynamics and Circulation of Venus Atmosphere

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Book cover Towards Understanding the Climate of Venus

Part of the book series: ISSI Scientific Report Series ((ISSI,volume 11))

Abstract

In this chapter we introduce a number of basic dynamical ideas and concepts that are useful in understanding the large-scale circulation of Venus’s atmosphere. Some of these are of interest from an historical viewpoint, having influenced thinking on this subject at an earlier time. But most are still very relevant for interpreting modern observations, measurements and for formulating and interpreting models. We begin by considering basic conservation principles that provide key constraints on the circulation and go on to investigate the main dynamical balances prevalent in the atmosphere. The chapter goes on to discuss the main eddy processes that are likely to play a significant role in maintaining Venus’s atmospheric super-rotation, including planetary waves, gravity waves and thermal tides, their likely origins and how they interact with the zonal flow. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of how the atmosphere interacts with the underlying surface.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric, Oceanic & Planetary Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Peter L. Read

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  1. Peter L. Read
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Correspondence to Peter L. Read .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Space Science Institute, Hallerstrasse 6, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    Lennart Bengtsson

  2. International Space Science Institute, Hallerstrasse 6, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    Roger-Maurice Bonnet

  3. , Department of Space Science, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado Blvd 2001, Denver, 80205, USA

    David Grinspoon

  4. Peninsular House, Risk Management Solutions Ltd, Monument Street 30, London, EC3R 8NB, United Kingdom

    Symeon Koumoutsaris

  5. Laboratoire de Meterologie Dynamique, place Jussieu 4, Paris, 75005, France

    Sebastien Lebonnois

  6. ESA-ESTEC, Postbus 299, Noordwijk, 2201, Netherlands

    Dmitri Titov

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Read, P.L. (2013). The Dynamics and Circulation of Venus Atmosphere. In: Bengtsson, L., Bonnet, RM., Grinspoon, D., Koumoutsaris, S., Lebonnois, S., Titov, D. (eds) Towards Understanding the Climate of Venus. ISSI Scientific Report Series, vol 11. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5064-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5064-1_6

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