Heating Efficiencies in the Thermosphere of Venus Reconsidered

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

4-1987

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Abstract

Recent models of the thermosphere of Venus have required heating efficiencies of 10% or less to reproduce the neutral temperatures derived from spacecraft measurements. We have computed lower bounds and probable values for the heating efficiencies using up-to-date information on the relevant elementary atomic and molecular processes. Altitude profiles of the efficiencies are presented. Values less than 15% are difficult to justify and probable values are near 20%. It is suggested that the heating efficiency should not be taken as a free parameter and that an additional cooling mechanism is needed.

Comments

Presented at the 1987 Spring Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), Baltimore, MD.

Presentation Number P11-06.

DOI

10.1029/EO068i016p00260

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