Dust on Venus
Open Access
- 1 June 1975
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Vol. 32 (6) , 1076-1078
- https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1975)032<1076:dov>2.0.co;2
Abstract
A calculation is performed of the friction velocity needed to lift dust from the surface of Venus. It is found that the most easily lifted grains are 16–17 µm in radius, and a friction velocity of about 1.3 cm s1 will suffice. These are much smaller values than on Earth and Mars. Very light free-stream winds will raise dust on Venus. Dust of this size cannot remain suspended in the constant-stress layer because gravitational settling is more efficient there than diffusion. The situation reverses at heights above 1–2 km where diffusion can keep fine dust suspended for long periods. A mechanism for production of fine dust is suggested.Keywords
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