Possible Effects of Volcanic Eruptions on the Modern Atmosphere of Venus

Colin F. Wilson, Emmanuel Marcq, Cédric Gillmann, Thomas Widemann, Oleg Korablev, Nils T. Mueller, Maxence Lefèvre, Paul B. Rimmer, Séverine Robert, Mikhail Y. Zolotov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

This work reviews possible signatures and potential detectability of present-day volcanically emitted material in the atmosphere of Venus. We first discuss the expected composition of volcanic gases at present time, addressing how this is related to mantle composition and atmospheric pressure. Sulfur dioxide, often used as a marker of volcanic activity in Earth’s atmosphere, has been observed since late 1970s to exhibit variability at the Venus’ cloud tops at time scales from hours to decades; however, this variability may be associated with solely atmospheric processes. Water vapor is identified as a particularly valuable tracer for volcanic plumes because it can be mapped from orbit at three different tropospheric altitude ranges, and because of its apparent low background variability. We note that volcanic gas plumes could be either enhanced or depleted in water vapor compared to the background atmosphere, depending on magmatic volatile composition. Non-gaseous components of volcanic plumes, such as ash grains and/or cloud aerosol particles, are another investigation target of orbital and in situ measurements. We discuss expectations of in situ and remote measurements of volcanic plumes in the atmosphere with particular focus on the upcoming DAVINCI, EnVision and VERITAS missions, as well as possible future missions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number31
JournalSpace Science Reviews
Volume220
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2024

Keywords

  • Detecting volcanism
  • Planetary volcanism
  • Venus
  • Venus evolution
  • Venus exploration
  • Volcanic plumes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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