Stratospheric aerosols from CH sub 4 photochemistry on Neptune

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

OSTI ID:5916979

Atreya, S K ^[1]; Romani, R N

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1. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (USA)

The authors have used a combined photochemical-condensation model to study hydrocarbon ices produced from CH{sub 4} photolysis in the stratosphere of Neptune. They predict a total stratospheric haze production rate of 4.2 X 10{sup {minus}15} grams cm{sup {minus}2}s{sup {minus}1} (75% ethane, 25% acetylene, trace diacetylene). The total production rate is insensitive to within a factor of two to order of magnitude changes in the eddy diffusion coefficient and methane mixing ratio, which is within their estimate of uncertainty for this number. The condensation temperatures are 97K for C{sub 4}H{sub 2}, 71 K for C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, and 64K for C{sub 2}H{sub 6}. Voyager 2 images of Neptune will be able to confirm the presence of stratospheric aerosols and provide constraints on their production rate and location.

• OSTI ID: 5916979
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Vol. 16:8; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
NEPTUNE PLANET
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
AEROSOLS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DIFFUSION
HYDROCARBONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METHANE
MIXING
PHOTOCHEMISTRY
THEORETICAL DATA
ALKANES
ATMOSPHERES
CHEMISTRY
COLLOIDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
SOLS
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena