Related papers: Titan's transport-driven methane cycle
Infrared lightcurves of transiting hot Jupiters present a trend in which the atmospheres of the hottest planets are less efficient at redistributing the stellar energy absorbed on their daysides---and thus have a larger day-night…
Galactic winds are crucial to the cosmic cycle of matter, transporting material out of the dense regions of galaxies. Observations show the coexistence of different temperature phases in such winds, which is not easy to explain. We present…
The atmospheric circulation in the upper atmosphere of hot Jupiter planets is strongly influenced by the incoming stellar radiation. In this work we explore the results from a 3D atmospheric model and revisit the main processes driving the…
Understanding Titan's planetary boundary layer (PBL)-the lowest region of the atmosphere influenced by surface conditions-remains challenging due to Titan's thick atmosphere and limited observations. Previous modeling studies have produced…
The intense irradiation received by hot Jupiters suppresses convection in the outer layers of their atmospheres and lowers their cooling rates. "Inflated" hot Jupiters, i.e., those with anomalously large transit radii, require additional…
Methane is thought to have been an important greenhouse gas during the Archean, although its potential warming has been found to be limited at high concentrations due to its high shortwave absorption. We use the Met Office Unified Model, a…
Observations of Neptune, made in 2018 using the new Narrow Field Adaptive Optics mode of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) from 0.48 - 0.93 micron, are analysed here to determine the…
Titan's middle atmosphere is currently experiencing a rapid change of season after northern spring arrived in 2009. A large cloud was observed for the first time above Titan's southern pole in May 2012, at an altitude of 300 km. This…
Changes in the atmospheric composition alter the magnitude and partitioning between the downward propagating solar and atmospheric longwave radiative fluxes heating the Earth's surface. These changes are computed by radiative transfer codes…
The stability of Earth's climate on geological timescales is enabled by the carbon-silicate cycle that acts as a negative feedback mechanism stabilizing surface temperatures via the intake and outgas of atmospheric carbon. On Earth, this…
Sulfur dioxide is a radiatively and chemically important trace gas in the atmosphere of Venus and its abundance at the cloud-tops has been observed to vary on interannual to decadal timescales. This variability is thought to come from…
In an atmosphere, a cloud condensation region is characterized by a strong vertical gradient in the abundance of the related condensing species. On Earth, the ensuing gradient of mean molecular weight has relatively few dynamical…
Titan, the main satellite of Saturn, has an active cycle of methane in its troposphere. Among other evidence for a mechanism of evaporation at work on the ground, dry lakebeds have been discovered. Recent Cassini infrared observations of…
At sufficiently high pressures (~Mbar) and low temperatures (~1e3-1eK), hydrogen and helium become partly immiscible. Interpretations of Jupiter and Saturn's magnetic fields favor the existence of a statically stable layer near the Mbar…
The weather layers of the gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, comprise the shallow atmospheric layers that are influenced energetically by a combination of incoming solar radiation and localised latent heating of condensates, as well as…
We search for meridional variation in the abundance of CH$_3$D relative to CH$_4$ on Titan using near-IR spectra obtained with NIRSPAO at Keck, which have a photon-limited signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$50. Our observations can rule out a…
The habitability of Enceladus' subsurface ocean and the detectability of potential biosignatures depend on efficient ocean circulation and suitable ocean conditions. Directly probing the ocean is challenging because it lies beneath a thick…
Measurements of small-scale turbulence made over the complex-terrain atmospheric boundary layer during the MATERHORN Program are used to describe the structure of turbulence in katabatic flows. Turbulent and mean meteorological data were…
We analyze simulation results from the TitanWRF global circulation model to understand the mechanisms that maintain the equatorial superrotation in Titan's stratosphere. We find that the eddies associated with wave activities can transport…
Ultra-hot Jupiters, an extreme class of planets not found in our solar system, provide a unique window into atmospheric processes. The extreme temperature contrasts between their day- and night-sides pose a fundamental climate puzzle: how…