[1] Images obtained from the Visible and InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS)-M instrument onboard Venus Express present visible trains of alternating bands of cloud brightness in two different layers: at the upper cloud tops (∼66 km altitude) observed in the dayside hemisphere using reflected ultraviolet light (380 nm) and in the lower cloud (∼47 km altitude) observed in the nightside hemisphere using thermal radiation (1.74 μm). The waves are nearly zonal (with the bands perpendicular to latitude circles), have wavelengths of 60–150 km, propagate westward with low phase velocities relative to the zonal flow, and are confined in wave packets of 400 to 1800 km in length. The waves in the lower cloud observed in the infrared are widely distributed around the planet, and their appearance varies widely throughout the VIRTIS data set. The locations of both types of waves seem not correlated with latitude, local times, surface topography, or the structure of the wind. In both cases the characteristics of the waves correspond to gravity waves propagating in confined stable layers of the atmosphere. We examine the properties of these waves in terms of a linear model and perform a simple analysis to discuss the vertical stability of the atmosphere within Venus clouds.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2008JE003185

Characterization of mesoscale gravity waves in the upper and lower clouds of Venus from VEX‐VIRTIS images

[1] Venus Express is since April 11, 2006 in orbit around Venus. VIRTIS (Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer) has started only hours after orbit insertion to collect an immense and unique data set. Of special interest is the wavelength range from 1–1.5 microns which includes the “atmospheric windows”. By averaging several hundred multi-spectral images obtained during the mission we have been able to map the surface temperatures for almost the whole southern hemisphere of Venus. Blurring in the clouds limits the spatial resolution to approximately 100 km globally. The most exciting and at the same time the most complex task is to retrieve compositional information for the surface of Venus from the hyperspectral data obtained by VIRTIS. We report here about indication for variations in the surface composition in the Lada Terra region based on brightness variations mapped from VIRTIS measurements and present some tentative links to the evolution of this region.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2008GL033609

Surface brightness variations seen by VIRTIS on Venus Express and implications for the evolution of the Lada Terra region, Venus

Fully developed superrotation—60 times faster than the planetary rotation (243 days)—is simulated using a Venus-like atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM). The angular momentum of the superrotation is pumped up by the meridional circulation with the help of waves, which accelerate the equatorial zonal flow. The waves generated by solar heating and shear instability play a crucial role in the atmospheric dynamics of the Venusian superrotation. Vertical and horizontal momentum transports of thermal tides maintain the equatorial superrotation in the middle atmosphere, while equatorward eddy momentum flux due to shear instability raises the efficiency of upward angular momentum transport by the meridional circulation in the lower atmosphere. In addition to the superrotation, some waves simulated in the cloud layer are consistent with the observations. The planetary-scale Kelvin wave identified as the near-infrared (NIR) oscillation with periods of 5–6 days is generated by the shear instability...

Superrotation Maintained by Meridional Circulation and Waves in a Venus-Like AGCM

Six years of Venus winds at the upper cloud level from UV, visible and near infrared observations from VIRTIS on Venus Express

Detection of Sub-Micron Radiation from the Surface of Venus by Cassini/VIMS

Near-Infrared Images of the Venus Night Side Before and After the January, 18, 1990, Inferior Conjunction

Near-infrared images of Venus, obtained from a global network of ground-based observatories during January and February 1990, document the morphology and motions of the night-side near-infrared markings before, during, and after the Galileo Venus encounter. A dark cloud extended halfway around the planet at low latitudes (>±40°) and persisted throughout the observing program. It had a rotation period of 5.5 ± 0.15 days. The remainder of this latitude band was characterized by small-scale (400 to 1000 kilometers) dark and bright markings with rotation periods of 7.4 ± 1 days. The different rotation periods for the large dark cloud and the smaller markings suggests that they are produced at different altitudes. Mid-latitudes (±40° to 60°) were usually occupied by bright east-west bands. The highest observable latitudes (±60° to 70°) were always dark and featureless, indicating greater cloud opacity. Maps of the water vapor distribution show no evidence for large horizontal gradients in the lower atmosphere of Venus.

Ground-based near-infrared imaging observations of venus during the galileo encounter.

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Near-Infrared Images of the Venus Night Side Before and After the January, 18, 1990, Inferior Conjunction

Ground-based near-infrared imaging observations of venus during the galileo encounter.