Amateur Observers Witness the Return of Venus' Cloud Discontinuity

TL;DR

This study documents the reappearance of Venus' cloud discontinuity, a Kelvin wave-like phenomenon, using amateur near-infrared observations, revealing its properties and potential role in atmospheric dynamics.

Contribution

First characterization of Venus' cloud discontinuity using amateur near-infrared images, confirming its properties and behavior over several years.

Findings

Discontinuity reappeared after four years.

Zonal speed variations observed during 2019/2020.

Wave may transport momentum to upper clouds.

Abstract

Firstly identified in images from JAXA's orbiter Akatsuki, the cloud discontinuity of Venus is a planetary-scale phenomenon known to be recurrent since, at least, the 1980s. Interpreted as a new type of Kelvin wave, this disruption is associated to dramatic changes in the clouds' opacity and distribution of aerosols, and it may constitute a critical piece for our understanding of the thermal balance and atmospheric circulation of Venus. Here, we report its reappearance on the dayside middle clouds four years after its last detection with Akatsuki/IR1, and for the first time, we characterize its main properties using exclusively near-infrared images from amateur observations. In agreement with previous reports, the discontinuity exhibited temporal variations in its zonal speed, orientation, length, and its effect over the clouds' albedo during the 2019/2020 eastern elongation. Finally, a comparison with simultaneous observations by Akatsuki UVI and LIR confirmed that the discontinuity is not visible on the upper clouds' albedo or thermal emission, while zonal speeds are slower than winds at the clouds' top and faster than at the middle clouds, evidencing that this Kelvin wave might be transporting momentum up to upper clouds.