About Superrotation in Venus

TL;DR

This paper investigates the mechanisms behind superrotation in Venus's atmosphere, analyzing various effects that could contribute to the phenomenon of winds rotating faster than the planet itself.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of potential sources of angular momentum responsible for Venus's atmospheric superrotation, enhancing understanding of planetary atmospheric dynamics.

Findings

Identifies key effects influencing superrotation

Highlights importance of angular momentum sources

Suggests mechanisms contributing to wind speeds

Abstract

In this work we study in a general view slow rotating planets as Venus or Titan which present superrotating winds in their atmospheres. We are interested in understanding what mechanisms are candidates to be sources of net angular momentum to generate this kind of dynamics. In particular, in the case of Venus, in its atmosphere around an altitude of 100 Km relative to the surface, there exists winds that perform a full rotation around the planet in four terrestrial days, whereas the venusian day is equivalent to 243 terrestrial ones. This phenomenon called superrotation is known since many decades. However, its origin and behaviour is not completely understood. In this article we analise and ponderate the importance of different effects to generate this dynamics.