Spatial variations of Venus' cloud properties derived from polarimetry

Willem Jan Knibbe; Johan F. de Haan; Joop W. Hovenier; Larry D. Travis

doi:10.1117/12.198584

4 January 1995 Spatial variations of Venus' cloud properties derived from polarimetry

Willem Jan Knibbe; Johan F. de Haan; Joop W. Hovenier; Larry D. Travis

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2311, Atmospheric Sensing and Modelling; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.198584
Event: Satellite Remote Sensing, 1994, Rome, Italy

Abstract

We study satellite polarization data of the clouds of Venus obtained by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter from 1978 through 1990. We present a new method for comparing these data to results of exact multiple scattering computations. This method has been applied to the analysis of a single disk distribution of the polarization at wavelengths 550 and 935 nm, using a simple model for the atmosphere of Venus. We find little variation in the cloud particle size distribution for the equatorial part of the disk. For this region, the effective particle radius is about 1.0 micrometers and the width of the size distribution decreases when approaching the terminator. However, our analysis of observations at higher latitudes suggests that for these regions a different explanation is needed. Here, an upper haze layer with smaller particles than those of the underlying cloud but having the same composition explains the observations well. The optical thickness of this haze is between 0.1 and 0.5 for an effective haze particle radius of 0.40 micrometers .

Citation Download Citation

Willem Jan Knibbe, Willem Jan Knibbe, Johan F. de Haan, Johan F. de Haan, Joop W. Hovenier, Joop W. Hovenier, Larry D. Travis, Larry D. Travis, } "Spatial variations of Venus' cloud properties derived from polarimetry", Proc. SPIE 2311, Atmospheric Sensing and Modelling, (4 January 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.198584; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.198584

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