Heat Transfer in the Venus Atmosphere

Abstract

The successful flights of the Venera 4, 5 and 6 probes resulted in direct, in situ measurements of the chemical composition, pressure, temperature and density of the Venus lower atmosphere, and gave rise to a tentative atmospheric model for the planet. These measurements permit a more definite discussion of the mechanisms responsible for the observed characteristics of the thermal conditions on Venus. In this paper, an approximate analysis of heat transfer processes in the Venus atmosphere is made, representing the continuing development of the preliminary study described by Avduevsky et al. Radiative fluxes have been calculated, a model of the convective motions in the lower atmosphere has been evaluated, and the importance of radiative and convective energy transfer in the planet's total heat balance has been estimated.