English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

The internal heat flows of both Uranus and Neptune remain major outstandingproblems in planetary science. Uranus' surprisingly cold effective temperatureis inconsistent with adiabatic thermal evolution models, while Neptune'ssubstantial internal heat flow is twice its received insolation. In this workwe constrain the magnitude of influence condensation, including latent heat andinhibition of convection, can have on the thermal evolution of these bodies. Wefind that while the effect can be significant, it is insufficient to solve theUranus faintness problem on its own. Self-consistently considering the effectsof both latent heat release and stable stratification, methane condensation canspeed up the cool down time of Uranus and Neptune by no more than 15%, assuming5% molar methane abundance. Water condensation works in the opposite direction;water condensation can slow down the cool down timescale of Uranus and Neptuneby no more than 15% assuming 12% molar water abundance. We also constrain themeteorological implications of convective inhibition. We demonstrate thatsufficiently abundant condensates will relax to a state of radiative-convectiveequilibrium requiring finite activation energy to disrupt. We also comment onthe importance of considering convective inhibition when modeling planetaryinteriors.

Constraining the effect of convective inhibition on the thermal evolution of Uranus and Neptune