10.2 Venus Atmosphere
Venus has an extreme greenhouse atmosphere with surface temperature of 465°C and 92 bar pressure. Sulfuric acid clouds completely enshroud the planet.
Extreme Conditions
92 bar
Surface pressure
465°C
Surface temperature
96% CO₂
Main constituent
Runaway Greenhouse
Venus is a cautionary tale of the runaway greenhouse effect:
- • All water vapor in atmosphere (no liquid oceans)
- • CO₂ not sequestered in carbonates
- • Surface hot enough to melt lead
- • Earth could have gone this way with slightly higher solar flux
Super-rotation
Venus's atmosphere rotates 60× faster than its surface (4-day "year" in upper clouds vs 243-day actual rotation). Mechanism still not fully understood.