Venus: Vertical Transport Rates in the Visible Atmosphere

Abstract

The cloud particles on Venus are sufficiently small for their vertical distribution to be strongly affected by atmospheric turbulence. Reasonably firm estimates of the vertical distribution of cloud particles can be made from current interpretations of refraction, polarization and absorption band data. These enable very firm upper limits to be placed on average vertical mass diffusion coefficients K in the visible atmosphere. Here K includes all scales of vertical motion. These upper limits are independent of the cloud particle composition or mode of formation, and of changes in the particle size distribution with altitude.