Venus Cloud Research: Progress and Perspectives

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent progress and future perspectives in Venus cloud research, emphasizing the importance of clouds in understanding Venus's climate, despite limited data, and discusses new models and challenges for upcoming missions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of Venus cloud properties, models, and future research directions, highlighting recent advancements and proposed solutions to current challenges.

Findings

Review of observational data and cloud properties

Development of microphysical and simplified cloud models

Proposed solutions for coupling effects and habitability challenges

Abstract

Venus has regained attention on the international stage with the approval of three new missions by ESA and NASA. As the twin sister of Earth, Venus exhibits a distinct atmosphere, which casts a veil of mystery over the planetary evolution and is of great scientific significance. One of the most important components of Venus-the cloud-is believed to have significantly regulated its climate evolution and affect the environmental habitability. However, due to sparse in-situ measurements and the limitation of remote sensing, properties of these clouds remain largely unknown. Based on research conducted in past decades, this article reviews the observational structure of cloud properties, the progress of microphysical and simplified cloud model developments, and perspectives of future directions of this research field. Several possible solutions to the challenges associated with the coupling effect, ultraviolet absorption, and habitability are proposed and discussed in details, providing insights for future Venus' explorations.