In 2016, JAXA's Akatsuki probe detected an atmospheric disturbance on Venus that scientists at the University of Tokyo have managed to explain. It is a hydraulic jump, a phenomenon that occurs when a Kelvin wave in the sulfuric acid clouds becomes unstable and abruptly reduces its speed, accumulating a dense layer 6,000 kilometers around the equator and generating a visible dark region.
Fluid simulations to understand Venusian rotation 🌪️
The study is based on fluid dynamics models and computational simulations that replicate the interaction between cloud layers. By analyzing the transition between fast and slow flows, researchers determined that the hydraulic jump acts as a barrier that slows down atmospheric circulation. This dynamic helps explain why Venus's clouds rotate up to 60 times faster than the planet's surface, a phenomenon known as super-rotation.
Venus's infernal traffic: a 6,000 km traffic jam 🚗💨
Imagine a rush-hour traffic jam, but in hell and with sulfuric acid clouds. That's what happens on Venus: a wave decides to brake abruptly and causes an accumulation of clouds that stretches like a toll highway around the equator. Meanwhile, the rest of the atmosphere keeps spinning as if nothing happened, leaving the poor trapped gases watching their companions speed by.