Global Climate Change on Venus

Global Climate Change on Venus

Abstract

The climatic conditions of Venus can be compared with Earth 's climate in one aspect : it varied over time , probably because of correlation between geologic activity and atmospheric dynamics . Indeed , both planets have climates that are influenced by the interaction between geologic and atmospheric processes . Few trustworthy facts have been known about geology of Venus until recently , but the invaluable discoveries made by the Magellan mission in 1990-1994 makes the consideration of this issue a high priority . Careful interpretation of the discovered facts can shed

br light on the dynamic interplay of geology and climate change . This analysis can help to gain a deeper understanding of some processes taking place on our planet as well

The itself is divided into three parts , the first one being this abstract , the second one featuring main information on the issue in the body paragraphs , ending with a conclusion with a student perspective References to a variety of different sources dealing with this issue including books , journal articles , scientific and popular websites are available at the end as a separate page

Venus : Geology and Climate

Although often referred to as Earth 's sister planet , Venus is no water either . The surface air pressure is approximately 100 times that on Earth , and the temperature is about 460 degrees Celsius . Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system , its surface hot enough to melt some metals (Space .com , 200 , Climate and structure , para .1 The climate of Venus is also characterized by globally encircling clouds of sulfuric acid . It 's atmospheric composition includes Carbon dioxide (96 nitrogen (3 trace amounts of sulfur dioxide , water vapor , carbon monoxide , argon , helium , neon , hydrogen chloride , hydrogen fluoride (NASA , N /d , Venus

Recently there was no sufficient information about the existence of volcanic activity there , but it was discovered that Venus has undergone massive volcanic eruptions in the past and is almost surely active today . After receiving this information scientists felt the need to find answers , and the past billion years of Venus 's climate history was attempted to be reconstructed with the help of computer simulations . The result was as follows : scientists arrived at the conclusion that intense volcanic activity has driven large-scale climate change . So , Venus , just like Earth , has a complex and continuously evolving climate

Bullock Grinspoon (1999 ) suggests that their simulations showed that the clouds gradually won out , and the surface cooled by about 100 degrees C . After it the clouds slowly disappeared , water diffused higher in the atmosphere and dissociated by solar ultraviolet radiation . The hydrogen left into space , and the sulfur dioxide reacted with carbonate rocks . This formed the climate observed on Venus nowadays . Slow heating and cooling globally could have formed large areas of cracks on Venus ' surface . A major episode of resurfacing occurred on Venus roughly 700 million years ago , in which water and sulfur levels in the atmosphere rose (Sciencedaily .com , 2003 , para .8

Comparison with Mars isn 't so helpful , for the ample...