Abstract
In this chapter we discuss the constituents, structure and circulation of planetary atmospheres, with emphasis on Venus, Earth and Mars. The pressure and temperature variation with height in the atmosphere are derived, as are the centrifugal and Coriolis forces acting on a moving parcel of air. The effects that these and other factors have on global atmospheric structure and circulation are then discussed in detail. The chapter concludes with a discussion of atmospheric chemical cycles on the Earth and Venus.
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Notes
- 1.
A system is in thermal equilibrium if its temperature is spatially uniform (the same temperature throughout the system) and is constant in time.
- 2.
for the astronomical unit, the semi-major axis of the Earth's orbit, defined by the IAU in 2012 formally as exactly equal to 149,597,870,700Â m.
- 3.
A Maxwellian distribution gives the number of atoms or molecules vs. speed in a gas in thermal equilibrium.
- 4.
Or moles, gram-molecular weights or the mass equivalent of Avogadro's number (6.02214129(27) × 1023) of molecules of this species. The latest values for physical constants, generally accepted worldwide, may be found on the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Website, http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/. At current writing (May 2013), these are the 2010 CODATA recommended values, where CODATA is the Committee on Data for Science and Technology.
- 5.
Or universal gas constant. See also Sect. 10.2.1.
- 6.
The fraction by volume (or mass or number of moles) of one component compared to all others; if it is a gas, compared to all other gases but not including liquid or solid particle forms.
- 7.
1656–1742.
- 8.
Not to be confused with air mass in astronomical extinction, which is the thickness of a column of air normalized to the zenith value.
- 9.
In other parts of Solar System Astrophysics, we have used the conventional astronomical notation of (λ, ϕ) for longitude and latitude, respectively, but in this context, we use λ for latitude in accord with planetary science literature.
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Challenges
Challenges
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[10.1]
The phenomenon of the Chinook in Western Canada, the Föhn in Switzerland, and the Sirocco around the Mediterranean, involves a warm wind at lower elevations on the leeward side of mountains, with a higher temperature than is found at comparable elevations on the windward side of the mountains. Explain the physical basis for the phenomenon. (Hint: Consult the end of Sect. 10.2)
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[10.2]
From (10.63), find the magnitude of the centrifugal force on an object of mass m on the surface of a planet as a function of Ω, r, and the object’s latitude, λ. Also find the magnitude of the horizontal component of this force. At what latitude is the horizontal component largest?
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[10.3]
From (10.62), find the magnitude of the Coriolis force on an object of mass m travelling horizontally at speed v on the surface of the Earth, as a function of Ω, r, v, and the object’s latitude, λ, if the object is travelling (a) due north, (b) due east, and (c) at an azimuth angle α measured eastward from north. In part (c), α will also be in the equation. [Hint: Decompose the velocity into component vectors northward and eastward.] Illustrate the subsequent trajectory of a rocket fired due north from the equator.
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[10.4]
Compute the relative magnitude of the Coriolis effect on Earth, Venus, and Mars. That is, derive the results of Sect. 10.5.1.
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[10.5]
Derive (10.7) and (10.8), including the numerical constants in those equations.
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[10.6]
Compute the tropospheric pressure scale heights for Venus, Earth, and Mars.
-
[10.7]
Consulting Sects. 10.1 and 10.2 and Fig. 10.23, discuss the retention of water vapor on the terrestrial planets.
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Milone, E.F., Wilson, W.J.F. (2014). Planetary Atmospheres. In: Solar System Astrophysics. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9090-6_1
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