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Venus's southern polar vortex reveals precessing circulation.
1Centro de Astronomia e Astrofísica da Universidade de Lisboa, Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, 1349-018 Lisboa, Portugal. dluz@oal.ul.pt
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 9, 2011
Summary
Venus
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Atmospheric Science
- Venus Science
Background:
- Venus Express mission observed a bright, variable vortex at Venus's south pole.
- This vortex shares similarities with the one previously observed at the planet's north pole.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the internal structure and dynamics of the south polar vortex on Venus.
- To understand the atmospheric circulation at Venus's south pole.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution infrared measurements of polar winds.
- Employed data from the Venus Express Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) instrument.
Main Results:
- The south polar vortex exhibits a constantly varying internal structure.
- The vortex center is displaced ~3 degrees latitude from the geographic south pole.
- The vortex drifts around the pole with a period of 5 to 10 Earth days.
Conclusions:
- The observed vortex dynamics suggest a nonsymmetric and varying precession.
- This indicates complex atmospheric circulation patterns at Venus's south pole relative to the planetary axis.
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