Formation of the Y Feature at the Venusian Cloud Top by Planetary‐Scale Waves and the Mean Circulation: Analysis of Venus Express VMC Images

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  • Y. Nara
    Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Chiba Japan
  • T. Imamura
    Department of Complexity Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Chiba Japan
  • S. Murakami
    Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Sagamihara Kanagawa Japan
  • T. Kouyama
    National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Koto‐ku Tokyo Japan
  • K. Ogohara
    Department of Electronic System Engineering, School of Engineering The University of Shiga Prefecture Hikone Shiga Japan
  • M. Yamada
    Planetary Exploration Research Center Chiba Institute of Technology Narashino Chiba Japan
  • M. Takagi
    Faculty of Science Kyoto Sangyo University Kyoto Japan
  • H. Kashimura
    Center for Planetary Science/Department of Planetology, Graduate School of Science Kobe University Kobe Hyogo Japan
  • N. Sato
    Natural Science Division Tokyo Gakugei University Koganei Tokyo Japan

Bibliographic Information

Published
2019-05
Resource Type
journal article
Rights Information
  • http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
DOI
  • 10.1029/2018je005779
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)

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<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The relationship between the planetary‐scale ultraviolet contrast known as the Y feature and the wind field at the Venusian cloud top was investigated by using images obtained by Venus Monitoring Camera (VMC) on ESA's Venus Express. Spectral analyses of the ultraviolet reflectivity and the wind field revealed common periodicities of 4–5 Earth days, which are attributed to Kelvin and Rossby waves with a zonal wave number of unity. Combined with the morphological relationship between the dark streaks and the enhancement of poleward flow, we propose a mechanism for the formation of the Y feature: The dark materials are supplied to the cloud top in the equatorial region by a Kelvin wave, subsequently advected poleward by the mean meridional circulation and a Rossby wave, and then stretched by the midlatitude jet to the tilted band structures. A simplified transport model was developed to demonstrate the scenario.</jats:p>

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