Photochemistry Of The Atmospheres Of Mars And Venus

Spacecraft study of the Solar system is one of humanity's most outstanding achievements. Thanks to this study, our present knowledge of properties of and conditions on the planets exceeds many-fold that of 20 years ago: planets have been rediscovered. This is especially the case for planetary atmospheres, whose properties were for the most part either not at all or only erroneously known. Much research has been invested in the study of the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, and their chemical composition and photochemistry are basic problems in these studies. In the present publication I have tried to summarize all findings in this field. The English version of the book includes new data in the field from the last 3 years since the book was published in Russian. I wish to thank U. von Zahn, who initiated my talks with Springer-Verlag and acted as technical editor. December 2, 1985 V. A. KRASNOPOLSKY Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Chemical Composition and Structure of the Martian Atmosphere 4 1. 1 Carbon Dioxide and Atmospheric Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1. 2 CO and O Mixing Ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2 1. 3 Ozone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1. 4 Water Vapor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 1. 5 Composition of the Upper Atmosphere as Determined from Airglow Spectroscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 1. 6 Mass Spectrometric Measurements of the Atmospheric Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 1. 7 Ionospheric Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 1. 8 Temperature Profile of the Lower Atmosphere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 1. 9 Temperature of the Upper Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 1. 10 Eddy Diffusion Coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 2 Photochemistry of the Martian Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spacecraft study of the Solar system is one of humanity's most outstanding achievements. Thanks to this study, our present knowledge of properties of and conditions on the planets exceeds many-fold that of 20 years ago: planets have been rediscovered. This is especially the case for planetary atmospheres, whose properties were for the most part either not at all or only erroneously known. Much research has been invested in the study of the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, and their chemical composition and photochemistry are basic problems in these studies. In the present publication I have tried to summarize all findings in this field. The English version of the book includes new data in the field from the last 3 years since the book was published in Russian. I wish to thank U. von Zahn, who initiated my talks with Springer-Verlag and acted as technical editor. December 2, 1985 V. A. KRASNOPOLSKY Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Chemical Composition and Structure of the Martian Atmosphere 4 1. 1 Carbon Dioxide and Atmospheric Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1. 2 CO and O Mixing Ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2 1. 3 Ozone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1. 4 Water Vapor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 1. 5 Composition of the Upper Atmosphere as Determined from Airglow Spectroscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 1. 6 Mass Spectrometric Measurements of the Atmospheric Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 1. 7 Ionospheric Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 1. 8 Temperature Profile of the Lower Atmosphere. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 1. 9 Temperature of the Upper Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 1. 10 Eddy Diffusion Coefficient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 2 Photochemistry of the Martian Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This valuable reference presents detailed studies of eleven planetary atmospheres: four for the giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), four for the small bodies (Io, Titan, Triton, and Pluto), and three for the terrestrial planets (Mars, Venus, and Earth). Also, using the database provided by recent space missions supplemented by Earth-based observations, the authors offer an extensive survey of the principal chemical cycles that control the present composition and past history of planetary atmospheres.

Reviews the fundamentals for studying chemical compositions of planetary atmospheres and ionospheres, for graduate students and researchers.

The Photochemistry of Atmospheres: Earth, the Other Planets, and Comets discusses the photochemical and chemical processes in atmospheres This book focuses on the earth’s atmosphere in the past, present, and future, atmospheres of other planets and their satellites, and comets. General topics in atmospheric photochemistry, such as composition and structure, transfer of incoming solar radiation, and principles governing the rates of photochemical and chemical processes are also elaborated. This text also covers the role of eddy and molecular transport and continuity-transport equation used in theoretical numerical modeling studies. This publication is recommended for advanced-level courses in the atmospheric and planetary sciences, as well as reference for those interested in learning about atmospheric/climatic environmental problems, their causes and consequences, and discoveries concerning the atmospheres of neighboring worlds.

The Photochemistry of Atmospheres ...

"Through the contributions of more than sixty leading experts in the field, Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets sets forth the foundations for this emerging new science and brings the reader to the forefront of our current understanding of atmospheric formation and climate evolution"--Provided by publisher.