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1.
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 H2O mole fraction in the lower atmosphere of Venus. We showed that the line profile model of Afanasenko and Rodin (Afanasenko, T.S., Rodin, A.V. [2007]. Astron. Lett. 33, 203–210) underestimates the CO2 absorption in the high-wavelength wing of the 1.18-μm window and we derived an empirical lineshape that matches this wing well. An additional continuum opacity is required to reproduce the variation of the 1.10- and 1.18-μm radiances with surface elevation as observed by the VIRTIS-M instrument aboard Venus Express. A constant absorption coefficient of 0.7 ± 0.2 × 10−9 cm−1 am−2 best reproduces the observed variation. We compared spectra calculated with different CO2 and H2O line lists. We found that the CDSD line list lacks the 5ν1 + ν3 series of CO2 bands, which provide significant opacity in Venus’ deep atmosphere, and we have constructed a composite line list that best reproduces the observations. We also showed for the first time that HDO brings significant absorption at 1140–1190 nm. Using the best representation of the atmospheric opacity we could reach, we retrieved a water vapor mole fraction of ppmv, pertaining to the altitude range 5–25 km. Combined with previous measurements in the 1.74- and 2.3-μm windows, this result provides strong evidence for a uniform H2O profile below 40 km, in agreement with chemical models.  相似文献   

2.
High-resolution spectra of Venus and Mars at the NO fundamental band at 5.3 μm with resolving power ν/δν=76,000 were acquired using the TEXES spectrograph at NASA IRTF on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The observed spectrum of Venus covered three NO lines of the P-branch. One of the lines is strongly contaminated, and the other two lines reveal NO in the lower atmosphere at a detection level of 9 sigma. A simple photochemical model for NO and N at 50-112 km was coupled with a radiative transfer code to simulate the observed equivalent widths of the NO and some CO2 lines. The derived NO mixing ratio is 5.5±1.5 ppb below 60 km and its flux is . Predissociation of NO at the (0-0) 191 nm and (1-0) 183 nm bands of the δ-system and the reaction with N are the only important loss processes for NO in the lower atmosphere of Venus. The photochemical impact of the measured NO abundance is significant and should be taken into account in photochemical modeling of the Venus atmosphere. Lightning is the only known source of NO in the lower atmosphere of Venus, and the detection of NO is a convincing and independent proof of lightning on Venus. The required flux of NO is corrected for the production of NO and N by the cosmic ray ionization and corresponds to the lightning energy deposition of . For a flash energy on Venus similar to that on the Earth (∼109 J), the global flashing rate is ∼90 s−1 and ∼6 km−2 y−1 which is in reasonable agreement with the existing optical observations. The observed spectrum of Mars covered three NO lines of the R-branch. Two of these lines are contaminated by CO2 lines, and the line at 1900.076 cm−1 is clean and shows some excess over the continuum. Some photochemical reactions may result in a significant excitation of NO (v=1) in the lowest 20 km on Mars. However, quenching of NO (v=1) by CO2 is very effective below 40 km. Excitation of NO (v=1) in the collisions with atomic oxygen is weak because of the low temperature in the martian atmosphere, and we do not see any explanation of a possible emission of NO at 5.3 μm. Therefore the data are treated as the lack of absorption with a 2 sigma upper limit of 1.7 ppb to the NO abundance in the lower atmosphere of Mars. This limit is above the predictions of photochemical models by a factor of 3.  相似文献   

3.
Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) visible (solarband bolometer) and thermal infrared (IR) spectral limb observations from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) support quantitative profile retrievals for dust opacity and particle sizes during the 2001 global dust event on Mars. The current analysis considers the behavior of dust lifted to altitudes above 30 km during the course of this storm; in terms of dust vertical mixing, particle sizes, and global distribution. TES global maps of visible (solarband) limb brightness at 60 km altitude indicate a global-scale, seasonally evolving (over 190-240° solar longitudes, LS) longitudinal corridor of vertically extended dust loading (which may be associated with a retrograde propagating, wavenumber 1 Rossby wave). Spherical radiative transfer analysis of selected limb profiles for TES visible and thermal IR radiances provide quantitative vertical profiles of dust opacity, indicating regional conditions of altitude-increasing dust mixing ratios. Observed infrared spectral dependences and visible-to-infrared opacity ratios of dust scattering over 30-60 km altitudes indicate particle sizes characteristic of lower altitudes (cross-section weighted effective radius, ), during conditions of significant dust transport to these altitudes. Conditions of reduced dust loading at 30-60 km altitudes present smaller dust particle sizes . These observations suggest rapid meridional transport at 30-80 km altitudes, with substantial longitudinal variation, of dust lifted to these altitudes over southern hemisphere atmospheric regions characterized by extraordinary (m/s) vertical advection velocities. By LS=230° dust loading above 50 km altitudes decreased markedly at southern latitudes, with a high altitude (60-80 km) haze of fine (likely) water ice particles appearing over 10°S-40°N latitudes.  相似文献   

4.
Observations of Jupiter by Cassini/CIRS, acquired during the December 2000 flyby, provide the latitudinal distribution of HCN and CO2 in Jupiter's stratosphere with unprecedented spatial resolution and coverage. Following up on a preliminary study by Kunde et al. [Kunde, V.G., and 41 colleagues, 2004. Science 305, 1582-1587], the analysis of these observations leads to two unexpected results (i) the total HCN mass in Jupiter's stratosphere in 2000 was (6.0±1.5)×1013 g, i.e., at least three times larger than measured immediately after the Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) impacts in July 1994 and (ii) the latitudinal distributions of HCN and CO2 are strikingly different: while HCN exhibits a maximum at 45° S and a sharp decrease towards high Southern latitudes, the CO2 column densities peak over the South Pole. The total CO2 mass is (2.9±1.2)×1013 g. A possible cause for the HCN mass increase is its production from the photolysis of NH3, although a problem remains because, while millimeter-wave observations clearly indicate that HCN is currently restricted to submillibar (∼0.3 mbar) levels, immediate post-impact infrared observations have suggested that most of the ammonia was present in the lower stratosphere near 20 mbar. HCN appears to be a good atmospheric tracer, with negligible chemical losses. Based on 1-dimensional (latitude) transport models, the HCN distribution is best interpreted as resulting from the combination of a sharp decrease (over an order of magnitude in Kyy) of wave-induced eddy mixing poleward of 40° and an equatorward transport with velocity. The CO2 distribution was investigated by coupling the transport model with an elementary chemical model, in which CO2 is produced from the conversion of water originating either from SL9 or from auroral input. The auroral source does not appear adequate to reproduce the CO2 peak over the South Pole, as required fluxes are unrealistically high and the shape of the CO2 bulge is not properly matched. In contrast, the CO2 distribution can be fit by invoking poleward transport with a velocity and vigorous eddy mixing (). While the vertical distribution of CO2 is not measured, the combined HCN and CO2 results imply that the two species reside at different stratospheric levels. Comparing with the circulation regimes predicted by earlier radiative-dynamical models of Jupiter's stratosphere, and with inferences from the ethane and acetylene stratospheric latitudinal distribution, we suggest that CO2 lies in the middle stratosphere near or below the 5-mbar level.  相似文献   

5.
This work presents model calculations of the diurnal airglow emissions from the OH Meinel bands and the O2 IR atmospheric band in the neutral atmosphere of Mars. A time-dependent photochemical model of the lower atmosphere below 80 km has been developed for this purpose. Special emphasis is placed on the nightglow emissions because of their potential to characterize the atomic oxygen profile in the 50-80 km region. Unlike on Earth, the OH Meinel emission rates are very sensitive to the details of the vibrational relaxation pathway. In the sudden death and collisional cascade limits, the maximum OH Meinel column intensities for emissions originating from a fixed upper vibrational level are calculated to be about 300 R, for transitions v=9→v?8, and 15,000 R, for transitions v=1→v=0, respectively. During the daytime the 1.27 μm emission from O2(), primarily formed from ozone photodissociation, is of the order of MegaRayleighs (MR). Due to the long radiative lifetime of O2(), a luminescent remnant of the dayglow extends to the dark side for about two hours. At night, excited molecular oxygen is expected to be produced through the three body reaction O + O + CO2. The column emission of this nighttime component of the airglow is estimated to amount to 25 kR. Both nightglow emissions, from the OH Meinel bands and the O2 IR atmospheric band, overlap in the 50-80 km region. Photodissociation of CO2 in the upper atmosphere and the subsequent transport of the atomic oxygen produced to the emitting layer are revealed as key factors in the nightglow emissions from these systems. The Mars 5 upper constraint for the product [H][O3] is revised on the basis of more recent values for the emission probabilities and collisional deactivation coefficients.  相似文献   

6.
We have investigated the abundances of Titan's stratospheric oxygen compounds using 0.5 cm−1 resolution spectra from the Composite Infrared Spectrometer on the Cassini orbiter. The CO abundance was derived for several observations of far-infrared nadir spectra, taken at a range of latitudes (75° S-35° N) and emission angles (0°-60°), using rotational lines that have not been analysed before the arrival of Cassini at Saturn. The derived volume mixing ratios for the different observations are mutually consistent regardless of latitude. The weighted mean CO volume mixing ratio is 47±8 ppm if CO is assumed to be uniform with latitude. H2O could not be detected and an upper limit of 0.9 ppb was determined. CO2 abundances derived from mid-infrared nadir spectra show no significant latitudinal variations, with typical values of 16±2 ppb. Mid-infrared limb spectra at 55° S were used to constrain the vertical profile of CO2 for the first time. A vertical CO2 profile that is constant above the condensation level at a volume mixing ratio of 15 ppb reproduces the limb spectra very well below 200 km. This is consistent with the long chemical lifetime of CO2 in Titan's stratosphere. Above 200 km the CO2 volume mixing ratio is not well constrained and an increase with altitude cannot be ruled out there.  相似文献   

7.
In 1999, observations of the Venus nightglow with the Keck I telescope showed that the 5577 Å oxygen green line was a significant feature, comparable in intensity to the terrestrial green line. Subsequent measurements have been carried out at the Apache Point Observatory (APO) and again at Keck I, confirming the presence of the line with substantially varying intensity. The Herzberg II emission intensity, from the O2(c-X) transition, was found to have an intensity near 3 kR in one APO run, comparable to the value found on all previous measurements. Thus, of the three oxygen features seen at Venus—the green line, the Herzberg II emission system, and the 1.27-μ 0-0 band of the IR atmospheric system—the first is quite variable, the second is relatively constant, while the third also shows large variations. The reaction between O2(, v=0) and CO is considered as a possible mechanism to explain green line production and its variability, as well as the variability of the 1.27-μ emission and the stability of the CO2 atmosphere. This reaction may catalyze CO2 recombination some five orders of magnitude faster than the slow three-body O + CO reaction.  相似文献   

8.
Darrell F. Strobel 《Icarus》2006,182(1):251-258
Tidal waves driven by Titan's orbital eccentricity through the time-dependent component of Saturn's gravitational potential attain nonlinear, saturation amplitudes (|T|>10 K, , and ) in the upper atmosphere (?500 km) due to the approximate exponential growth as the inverse square root of pressure. The gravitational tides, with vertical wavelengths of ∼100-150 km above 500 km altitude, carry energy fluxes sufficient in magnitude to affect the energy balance of the upper atmosphere with heating rates in the altitude range of 500-900 km.  相似文献   

9.
We investigate the effects of atmospheric gravity waves on the vertical and horizontal structure of the ionosphere of Jupiter. The presented non-linear, two-dimensional model of the jovian ionosphere allows for spatially and temporally varying neutral wind and temperature fields and tracks the time evolution of six ionospheric species, , and . An analytical approach is used to validate the model results for linear, small-amplitude waves and to elucidate the mechanisms that leads to perturbations in the density of the main ion species, H+ and . We demonstrate that the long-lived H+ ions are perturbed directly by wave dynamics whereas short-lived ions such as are perturbed by chemical interactions with other perturbed ion species. The model is then applied using larger gravity wave amplitudes consistent with observations. Atmospheric gravity waves propagating at high altitudes create layers of enhanced electron density similar to the system of layers observed during the J0-ingress radio occultation of the Galileo spacecraft. Our best fit to the J0-ingress observation is achieved using an 82 min period forcing wave with horizontal and vertical wavelengths of 500 km and 60 km respectively, and peaks at 510 km above the 1 bar pressure level. We further investigate the effects of the wave-induced ion flux on the background ionospheric structure and demonstrate that in the presence of a gravity wave the background density profiles of the H+ and ions are significantly modified. We also find that the column density of has variations that can exceed 10% as the wave propagates.  相似文献   

10.
We report here the first detection of mono-deuterated acetylene (acetylene-d1, C2HD) in Titan's atmosphere from the presence of two of its emission bands at 678 and 519 cm−1 as observed in CIRS spectral averages of nadir and limb observations taken between July 2004 and mid-2007. By using new laboratory spectra for this molecule, we were able to derive its abundance at different locations over Titan's disk. We find the C2HD value () to be roughly constant with latitude from the South to about 45° N and then to increase slightly in the North, as is the case for C2H2. Fitting the 678 cm−1ν5 band simultaneously with the nearby C2H2 729 cm−1ν5 band, allows us to infer a D/H ratio in acetylene on Titan with an average of the modal values of 2.09±0.45×10−4 from the nadir observations, the uncertainties being mainly due to the vertical profile used for the fit of the acetylene band. Although still subject to significant uncertainty, this D/H ratio appears to be significantly larger than the one derived in methane from the CH3D band (upper limit of 1.5×10−4; Bézard, B., Nixon, C.A., Kleiner, I., Jennings, D.E., 2007. Icarus, 191, 397-400; Coustenis, A., Achterberg, R., Conrath, B., Jennings, D., Marten, A., Gautier, D., Bjoraker, G., Nixon, C., Romani, P., Carlson, R., Flasar, M., Samuelson, R.E., Teanby, N., Irwin, P., Bézard, B., Orton, G., Kunde, V., Abbas, M., Courtin, R., Fouchet, Th., Hubert, A., Lellouch, E., Mondellini, J., Taylor, F.W., Vinatier, S., 2007. Icarus 189, 35-62). From the analysis of limb data we infer D/H values of (at 54° S), (at 15° S), (at 54° N) and (at 80° N), which average to a mean value of 1.63±0.27×10−4.  相似文献   

11.
The Alice ultraviolet spectrograph onboard the New Horizons spacecraft observed two occultations of the bright star χ Ophiucus by Jupiter’s atmosphere on February 22 and 23, 2007 during the approach phase of the Jupiter flyby. The ingress occultation probed the atmosphere at 32°N latitude near the dawn terminator, while egress probed 18°N latitude near the dusk terminator. A detailed analysis of both the ingress and egress occultations, including the effects of molecular hydrogen, methane, acetylene, ethylene, and ethane absorptions in the far ultraviolet (FUV), constrains the eddy diffusion coefficient at the homopause level to be  cm2 s−1, consistent with Voyager measurements and other analyses (Festou, M.C., Atreya, S.K., Donahue, T.M., Sandel, B.R., Shemansky, D.E., Broadfoot, A.L. [1981]. J. Geophys. Res. 86, 5717-5725; Vervack Jr., R.J., Sandel, B.R., Gladstone, G.R., McConnell, J.C., Parkinson, C.D. [1995]. Icarus 114, 163-173; Yelle, R.V., Young, L.A., Vervack Jr., R.J., Young, R., Pfister, L., Sandel, B.R. [1996]. J. Geophys. Res. 101 (E1), 2149-2162). However, the actual derived pressure level of the methane homopause for both occultations differs from that derived by [Festou et al., 1981] and [Yelle et al., 1996] from the Voyager ultraviolet occultations, suggesting possible changes in the strength of atmospheric mixing with time. We find that at 32°N latitude, the methane concentration is  cm−3 at 70,397 km, the methane concentration is  cm−3 at 70,383 km, the acetylene concentration is  cm−3 at 70,364 km, and the ethane concentration is  cm−3 at 70,360 km. At 18°N latitude, the methane concentration is  cm−3 at 71,345 km, the methane concentration is  cm−3 at 71,332 km, the acetylene concentration is cm−3 at 71,318 km, and the ethane concentration is  cm−3 at 71,315 km. We also find that the H2 occultation light curve is best reproduced if the atmosphere remains cold in the microbar region such that the base of the thermosphere is located at a lower pressure level than that determined by in situ instruments aboard the Galileo probe (Seiff, A., Kirk, D.B., Knight, T.C.D., Young, R.E., Mihalov, J.D., Young, L.A., Milos, F.S., Schubert, G., Blanchard, R.C., Atkinson, D. [1998]. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (E10), 22857-22889) - the Sieff et al. temperature profile leads to too much absorption from H2 at high altitudes. However, this result is highly model dependent and non-unique. The observations and analysis help constrain photochemical models of Jupiter’s atmosphere.  相似文献   

12.
Darrell F. Strobel 《Icarus》2009,202(2):632-641
In Strobel [Strobel, D.F., 2008. Icarus, 193, 588-594] a mass loss rate from Titan's upper atmosphere, , was calculated for a single constituent, N2 atmosphere by hydrodynamic escape as a high density, slow outward expansion driven principally by solar UV heating due to CH4 absorption. It was estimated, but not proven, that the hydrodynamic mass loss is essentially CH4 and H2 escape. Here the individual conservation of momentum equations for the three major components of the upper atmosphere (N2, CH4, H2) are solved in the low Mach number limit and compared with Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements to demonstrate that light gases (CH4, H2) preferentially escape over the heavy gas (N2). The lightest gas (H2) escapes with a flux 99% of its limiting flux, whereas CH4 is restricted to ?75% of its limiting flux because there is insufficient solar power to support escape at the limiting rate. The respective calculated H2 and CH4 escape rates are 9.2×1027 and 1.7×1027 s−1, for a total of . From the calculated densities, mean free paths of N2, CH4, H2, and macroscopic length scales, an extended region above the classic exobase is inferred where frequent collisions are still occurring and thermal heat conduction can deliver power to lift the escaping gas out of the gravitational potential well. In this region rapid acceleration of CH4 outflow occurs. With the thermal structure of Titan's thermosphere inferred from INMS data by Müller-Wodarg et al. [Müller-Wodarg, I.C.F., Yelle, R.V., Cui, J., Waite Jr., J.H., 2008. J. Geophys. Res. 113, doi:10.1029/2007JE003033. E10005], in combination with calculated temperature profiles that include sputter induced plasma heating at the exobase, it is concluded that on average that the integrated, globally average, orbit-averaged, plasma heating rate during the Cassini epoch does not exceed ().  相似文献   

13.
New measurements of the dynamical properties of the long-lived Saturn's anticyclonic vortex known as “Brown Spot” (BS), discovered during the Voyager 1 and 2 flybys in 1980-1981 at latitude 43.1° N, and model simulations using the EPIC code, have allowed us to constrain the vertical wind shear and static stability in Saturn's atmosphere (vertically from pressure levels from 10 mbar to 10 bars) at this latitude. BS dynamical parameters from Voyager images include its size as derived from cloud albedo gradient (6100 km East-West times 4300 km North-South), mean tangential velocity ( at 2400 km from center) and mean vorticity (4.0±1.5×10−5 s−1), lifetime >1 year, drift velocity relative to Voyager's System III rotation rate, mean meridional atmospheric wind profile at cloud level at its latitude and interactions with nearby vortices (pair orbiting and merging). An extensive set of numerical experiments have been performed to try to reproduce this single vortex properties and its observed mergers with smaller anticyclones by varying the vertical structure of the zonal wind and adjusting the static stability of the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere. Within the context of the EPIC model atmosphere, our simulations indicate that BS's drift velocity, longevity and merging behavior are very sensitive to these two atmospheric properties. The best results at the BS latitude occur for static stability conditions that use a Brunt-Väisäla frequency constant in the upper troposphere (from 0.5 to 10 bar) above 3.2×10−3 s−1 and suggest that the wind speed slightly decays below the visible cloud deck from ∼0.5 to 10 bar at a rate per scale height. Changing the vortex latitude within the band domain introduces latitude oscillations in the vortex but not a significant meridional migration. Simulated mergers always showed orbiting movements with a typical merging time of about three days, very close to the time-span observed in the interaction of real vortices. Although these results are not unique in view of the unknowns of Saturn's deep atmosphere, they serve to constrain realistically its structure for ongoing Cassini observations.  相似文献   

14.
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft, en route to a 2014 encounter with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, made a gravity assist swing-by of Mars on 25 February 2007, closest approach being at 01:54 UT. The Alice instrument on board Rosetta, a lightweight far-ultraviolet imaging spectrograph optimized for in situ cometary spectroscopy in the 750-2000 Å spectral band, was used to study the daytime Mars upper atmosphere including emissions from exospheric hydrogen and oxygen. Offset pointing, obtained five hours before closest approach, enabled us to detect and map the H i Lyman-α and Lyman-β emissions from exospheric hydrogen out beyond 30,000 km from the planet’s center. These data are fit with a Chamberlain exospheric model from which we derive the hydrogen density at the 200 km exobase and the H escape flux. The results are comparable to those found from the Ultraviolet Spectrometer experiment on the Mariner 6 and 7 fly-bys of Mars in 1969. Atomic oxygen emission at 1304 Å is detected at altitudes of 400-1000 km above the limb during limb scans shortly after closest approach. However, the derived oxygen scale height is not consistent with recent models of oxygen escape based on the production of suprathermal oxygen atoms by the dissociative recombination of .  相似文献   

15.
Darrell F. Strobel 《Icarus》2008,193(2):588-594
The upper atmosphere of Titan is currently losing mass at a rate , by hydrodynamic escape as a high density, slow outward expansion driven principally by solar UV heating by CH4 absorption. The hydrodynamic mass loss is essentially CH4 and H2 escape. Their combined escape rates are restricted by power limitations from attaining their limiting rates (and limiting fluxes). Hence they must exhibit gravitational diffusive separation in the upper atmosphere with increasing mixing ratios to eventually become major constituents in the exosphere. A theoretical model with solar EUV heating by N2 absorption balanced by HCN rotational line cooling in the upper thermosphere yields densities and temperatures consistent with the Huygens Atmospheric Science Investigation (HASI) data [Fulchignoni, M., and 42 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 785-791], with a peak temperature of ∼185-190 K between 3500-3550 km. This model implies hydrodynamic escape rates of and , or some other combination with a higher H2 escape flux, much closer to its limiting value, at the expense of a slightly lower CH4 escape rate. Nonthermal escape processes are not required to account for the loss rates of CH4 and H2, inferred by the Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements [Yelle, R.V., Borggren, N., de la Haye, V., Kasprzak, W.T., Niemann, H.B., Müller-Wodarg, I., Waite Jr., J.H., 2006. Icarus 182, 567-576].  相似文献   

16.
Mm-wave spectra of HDO in the Venus mesosphere (65-100 km) were obtained over the period March 1998 to June 2004. Each spectrum is a measurement of the hemispheric-average H2O vapor mixing ratio in the Venus mesosphere. Observations were conducted for wide ranges of Venus solar elongations (46° W to 47° E), and fractional disk illuminations (f=0% to 99%), yielding water vapor abundances on 17 dates and over a full range of local solar time (LST) at the sub-Earth point on Venus. Our mesopheric H2O values are more numerous and far more precise than the earliest mm-derived H2O measurements [Encrenaz, Th., Lellouch, E., Paubert, G., Gulkis, S., 1991. First detection of HDO in the atmosphere of Venus at radio wavelengths: An estimate of the H2O vertical distribution. Astron. Astrophys. 246, L63-L66; Encrenaz, Th., Lellouch, E., Cernicharo, J., Paubert, G., Gulkis, S., Spilker, T., 1995. The thermal profile and water abundance in the Venus mesosphere from H2O and HDO millimeter observations. Icarus 117, 162-172], allowing an analysis of variability that was previously impossible. Measured 65-100 km H2O ranged from 0.0±0.06 to 3.5±0.3 ppmv, with significantly different variability than found in previous infrared (lower altitude, cloudtop) studies. Strong global variability on a 1-2 month timescale is clear and unambiguous. A limited number of excellent s/n measurements tentatively indicate the 1-2 month variability manifests most rapidly as change in the lower mesosphere, and more slowly as change in the upper mesosphere. Neither long term (1998-2004) nor diurnal variability in 65-100 km H2O is evident. While six-year and/or diurnal variabilities are not ruled out, they are weaker than the 1-2 month timescale variation. These conclusions are supported by initial (2004) sub-mm measurements.  相似文献   

17.
In this paper we present an in-depth study of the distributions of various neutral species in Titan's upper atmosphere, between 950 and 1500 km for abundant species (N2, CH4, H2) and between 950 and 1200 km for other minor species. Our analysis is based on a large sample of Cassini/INMS (Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer) measurements in the CSN (Closed Source Neutral) mode, obtained during 15 close flybys of Titan. To untangle the overlapping cracking patterns, we adopt Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to determine simultaneously the densities of different species. Except for N2, CH4, H2 and 40Ar (as well as their isotopes), all species present density enhancements measured during the outbound legs. This can be interpreted as a result of wall effects, which could be either adsorption/desorption of these molecules or heterogeneous surface chemistry of the associated radicals on the chamber walls. In this paper, we provide both direct inbound measurements assuming ram pressure enhancement only and abundances corrected for wall adsorption/desorption based on a simple model to reproduce the observed time behavior. Among all minor species of photochemical interest, we have firm detections of C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, CH3C2H, C4H2, C6H6, CH3CN, HC3N, C2N2 and NH3 in Titan's upper atmosphere. Upper limits are given for other minor species.The globally averaged distributions of N2, CH4 and H2 are each modeled with the diffusion approximation. The N2 profile suggests an average thermospheric temperature of 151 K. The CH4 and H2 profiles constrain their fluxes to be and , referred to Titan's surface. Both fluxes are significantly higher than the Jeans escape values. The INMS data also suggest horizontal/diurnal variations of temperature and neutral gas distribution in Titan's thermosphere. The equatorial region, the ramside, as well as the nightside hemisphere of Titan appear to be warmer and present some evidence for the depletion of light species such as CH4. Meridional variations of some heavy species are also observed, with a trend of depletion toward the north pole. Though some of the above variations might be interpreted by either the solar-driven models or auroral-driven models, a physical scenario that reconciles all the observed horizontal/diurnal variations in a consistent way is still missing. With a careful evaluation of the effect of restricted sampling, some of the features shown in the INMS data are more likely to be observational biases.  相似文献   

18.
Darrell F. Strobel 《Icarus》2008,193(2):612-619
Hydrodynamic escape of N2 molecules from Pluto's atmosphere is calculated under the assumption of a high density, slow outflow expansion driven by solar EUV heating by N2 absorption, near-IR and UV heating by CH4 absorption, and CO cooling by rotational line emission as a function of solar activity. At 30 AU, the N2 escape rate varies from in the absence of heating, but driven by an upward thermal heat conduction flux from the stratosphere, for lower boundary temperatures varying from 70-100 K. With solar heating varying from solar minimum to solar maximum conditions and a calculated lower boundary temperature, 88.2 K, the N2 escape rate range is , respectively. LTE rotational line emission by CO reduces the net solar heat input by at most 35% and plays a minor role in lowering the calculated escape rates, but ensures that the lower boundary temperature can be calculated by radiative equilibrium with near-IR CH4 heating. While an upward thermal conduction heat flux at the lower boundary plays a fundamental role in the absence of heating, with solar heating it is downward at solar minimum, and is, at most, 13% of the integrated net heating rate over the range of solar activity. For the arrival of the New Horizons spacecraft at Pluto in July 2015, predictions are lower boundary temperature, T0∼81 K, and N2 escape rate , and peak thermospheric temperature ∼103 K at 1890 km, based on expected solar medium conditions.  相似文献   

19.
Saturn's diffuse E ring is the largest ring of the Solar System and extends from about (Saturn radius RS=60,330 km) to at least encompassing the icy moons Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, and Rhea. After Cassini's insertion into her saturnian orbit in July 2004, the spacecraft performed a number of equatorial as well as steep traversals through the E ring inside the orbit of the icy moon Dione. Here, we report about dust impact data we obtained during 2 shallow and 6 steep crossings of the orbit of the dominant ring source—the ice moon Enceladus. Based on impact data of grains exceeding 0.9 μm we conclude that Enceladus feeds a torus populated by grains of at least this size along its orbit. The vertical ring structure at agrees well with a Gaussian with a full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of ∼4200 km. We show that the FWHM at is due to three-body interactions of dust grains ejected by Enceladus' recently discovered ice volcanoes with the moon during their first orbit. We find that particles with initial speeds between 225 and 235 m s−1 relative to the moon's surface dominate the vertical distribution of dust. Particles with initial velocities exceeding the moon's escape speed of 207 m s−1 but slower than 225 m s−1 re-collide with Enceladus and do not contribute to the ring particle population. We find the peak number density to range between 16×10−2 m−3 and 21×10−2 m−3 for grains larger 0.9 μm, and 2.1×10−2 m−3 and 7.6×10−2 m−3 for grains larger than 1.6 μm. Our data imply that the densest point is displaced outwards by at least with respect of the Enceladus orbit. This finding provides direct evidence for plume particles dragged outwards by the ambient plasma. The differential size distribution for grains >0.9 μm is described best by a power law with slopes between 4 and 5. We also obtained dust data during ring plane crossings in the vicinity of the orbits of Mimas and Tethys. The vertical distribution of grains >0.8 μm at Mimas orbit is also well described by Gaussian with a FWHM of ∼5400 km and displaced southwards by ∼1200 km with respect to the geometrical equator. The vertical distribution of ring particles in the vicinity of Tethys, however, does not match a Gaussian. We use the FWHM values obtained from the vertical crossings to establish a 2-dimensional model for the ring particle distribution which matches our observations during vertical and equatorial traversals through the E ring.  相似文献   

20.
We report the detection of 13CH3D in Titan's stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS infrared spectra near 8.7 μm. Fitting simultaneously the ν6 bands of both 13CH3D and 12CH3D and the ν4 band of CH4, we derive a D/H ratio equal to and a 12C/13C ratio in deuterated methane of , consistent with that measured in normal methane.  相似文献   

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