Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published November 1, 2018 | Supplemental Material
Journal Article Open

Planetary boundary layer and slope winds on Venus

Abstract

Few constraints are available to characterize the deep atmosphere of Venus, though this region is crucial to understand the interactions between surface and atmosphere on Venus. Based on simulations performed with the IPSL Venus Global Climate Model, the possible structure and characteristics of Venus' planetary boundary layer (PBL) are investigated. The vertical profile of the potential temperature in the deepest 10 km above the surface and its diurnal variations are controlled by radiative and dynamical processes. The model predicts a diurnal cycle for the PBL activity, with a stable nocturnal PBL while convective activity develops during daytime. The diurnal convective PBL is strongly correlated with surface solar flux and is maximum around noon and in low latitude regions. It typically reaches less than 2 km above the surface, but its vertical extension is much higher over high elevations, and more precisely over the western flanks of elevated terrains. This correlation is explained by the impact of surface winds, which undergo a diurnal cycle with downward katabatic winds at night and upward anabatic winds during the day along the slopes of high-elevation terrains. The convergence of these daytime anabatic winds induces upward vertical winds, that are responsible for the correlation between height of the convective boundary layer and topography.

Additional Information

© 2018 Elsevier. Received 22 December 2017, Revised 1 June 2018, Accepted 4 June 2018, Available online 5 June 2018. S.L., F.F. and A.S. acknowledge the support of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales. G.S. acknowledges the support of the Keck Institute for Space Studies under the project "Techniques and technologies for investigating the interior structure of Venus". GCM simulations were done at CINES, France, under the project n°11167.

Attached Files

Supplemental Material - 1-s2.0-S0019103517308497-mmc1.zip

Files

1-s2.0-S0019103517308497-mmc1.zip
Files (308 Bytes)
Name Size Download all
md5:f0919dcc6cb31a573551c6e8fcc37ebf
308 Bytes Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023