New Study Unravels the Mystery of Superwinds on Venus
November 29, 20251779 ViewsRead Time: 2 Minutes
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A recent scientific study has revealed a long-awaited explanation for one of the most mysterious puzzles in our solar system: how the violent atmospheric system on Venus generates winds that can almost engulf the entire planet at speeds exceeding 100 meters per second—levels that far surpass the strongest hurricanes on Earth.
The peculiarity of the phenomenon lies in the fact that Venus's atmosphere rotates around the planet at a speed sixty times that of its own rotation, a phenomenon known as "super-rotation" that has puzzled scientists for decades. While Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, its atmosphere completes a full cycle in just four days.
According to the study published in AGU Advances, the secret does not lie in the winds themselves, but in a daily tidal cycle generated by solar heat that acts as a massive engine driving the atmosphere from the extremely hot daytime side to the cooler nighttime side, creating strong connected currents that serve as a constant energy pumping mechanism.
The research team, led by Dr. Dixin Lai from the Chinese University of Science and Technology, relied on data collected by the European "Venus Express" and the Japanese "Akatsuki" spacecraft over 16 years, along with high-resolution digital simulation models.
The results indicate that scientists previously believed that recurring weather patterns occurring twice daily were the main driver of super-rotation; however, the new study confirms that the single daily tidal cycle is the primary contributor to pumping energy into the upper cloud layers, keeping the winds in a state of constant acceleration.
These findings open a new window for understanding the behavior of atmospheric envelopes of slowly rotating planets, both within our solar system and beyond, while other questions remain regarding the dynamics of Venus's harsh climate and whether similar processes could influence the evolution of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe.
The peculiarity of the phenomenon lies in the fact that Venus's atmosphere rotates around the planet at a speed sixty times that of its own rotation, a phenomenon known as "super-rotation" that has puzzled scientists for decades. While Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis, its atmosphere completes a full cycle in just four days.
According to the study published in AGU Advances, the secret does not lie in the winds themselves, but in a daily tidal cycle generated by solar heat that acts as a massive engine driving the atmosphere from the extremely hot daytime side to the cooler nighttime side, creating strong connected currents that serve as a constant energy pumping mechanism.
The research team, led by Dr. Dixin Lai from the Chinese University of Science and Technology, relied on data collected by the European "Venus Express" and the Japanese "Akatsuki" spacecraft over 16 years, along with high-resolution digital simulation models.
The results indicate that scientists previously believed that recurring weather patterns occurring twice daily were the main driver of super-rotation; however, the new study confirms that the single daily tidal cycle is the primary contributor to pumping energy into the upper cloud layers, keeping the winds in a state of constant acceleration.
These findings open a new window for understanding the behavior of atmospheric envelopes of slowly rotating planets, both within our solar system and beyond, while other questions remain regarding the dynamics of Venus's harsh climate and whether similar processes could influence the evolution of Earth-like planets elsewhere in the universe.
