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Dynamics of Venus' superrotation: The eddy momentum transport processes newly found in a GCM
Author(s) -
Yamamoto Masaru,
Takahashi Masaaki
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl019518
Subject(s) - venus , atmosphere (unit) , atmosphere of venus , atmospheric sciences , rossby wave , geophysics , momentum (technical analysis) , gcm transcription factors , geology , physics , general circulation model , astrobiology , climate change , meteorology , oceanography , finance , economics
A 4‐day superrotation 60‐times faster than the planetary rotation (243 days) is observed in Venus' atmosphere. Although it has been difficult to reproduce the extraordinary phenomenon in GCMs, the superrotation is reproduced by meridional circulation and planetary‐scale waves with phase velocities slower than 50 m s −1 in our improved GCM. Thermally induced waves produce equatorward momentum fluxes in the middle atmosphere, while the planetary‐scale pattern of two different gravity and Rossby waves with the same frequency is found to produce the equatorward momentum flux in the lower atmosphere. These processes play crucial roles in dynamics of the simulated Venus superrotation.