Evidence For Atmospheric Water Loss On Venus

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 - 21:56 in Astronomy & Space

There is new evidence that the solar wind has stripped away significant quantities of water from Venus.   The SPICAV and VIRTIS instruments carried by the Venus Express spacecraft have been used to measure concentrations of water vapor in the Venusian atmosphere at altitudes ranging from the lowest 10 km up to 110 km, high above the cloud tops. Studies led by scientists from Belgium and Russia have found that the ratio of heavy water, which contains the isotope deuterium instead of hydrogen, to normal water is nearly twice as high above the clouds compared to its value in the lower atmosphere.  read more

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