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Venus: Chemistry of the lower atmosphere prior to the Pioneer Venus mission
Author(s) -
Prinn Ronald G.
Publication year - 1978
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/gl005i011p00973
Subject(s) - venus , atmosphere of venus , atmosphere (unit) , sulfur , atmospheric chemistry , mixing ratio , astrobiology , sulfuric acid , mixing (physics) , atmospheric sciences , atmospheric models , sulfur dioxide , chemistry , meteorology , physics , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , ozone , quantum mechanics
Using laboratory studies of the high temperature kinetics of a number of sulfur gases together with a simple chemical‐dynamical model of the lower atmosphere of Venus, we conclude that the relative concentrations of photochemically‐produced oxidized sulfur gases (SO 2 , SO 3 ) and thermochemically‐produced reduced sulfur gases (COS, S 2 , H 2 S) are strongly dependent on the rate of vertical mixing. For values of the vertical eddy diffusion coefficient in excess of 10 4 cm² sec −1 we predict that the reduced gases will dominate over the oxidized gases in the lower atmosphere. Measurements of the important sulfur gases by Pioneer Venus will thus provide valuable knowledge of lower atmospheric mixing in addition to furthering our understanding of the chemistry which maintains the visible sulfuric acid cloud layer.