Time/ Place/ Format: 3 credits. Two 75 minute sessions per week.
W: 1.30-2.45pm , F: 10.30-12.45pm (JHN 241).
Assessment: Homeworks (65%), Term paper (35%).

General Description:

Problems of the origin, evolution, and structure of planetary atmospheres, emphasizing elements common to all; roles of radiation, chemistry, and dynamical processes. Recent research on the atmospheres of Venus, Mars,Titan, Jupiter and extrasolar planets in the context of comparative planetology.

SYLLABUS

1.    Atmospheric Structure on the Planets: The static structure (Wks 1-4)
1.1    Hydrostatic equilibrium. Stability and convection. Lapse rates on the planets. Water vapor in planetary atmospheres (Earth, Venus; Mars as a case study). Methane on Titan.
1.2    Energy Sources on Planets. Thermal balance. Greenhouse effect. Runaway greenhouse effect (early Venus, future Earth?). Radiative time constant on planets.
1.3    Radiative transfer. Solar/ UV (Mars as case study). Infrared. Radiative-convective equilibrium.
1.4    Photochemistry on Earth, Mars, Venus.
1.5    The upper atmosphere: Mesosphere, thermosphere, homopause, exosphere.
1.6    Escape processes: Jean's escape, hydrodynamic escape, impact erosion, sputtering.


2.    Atmospheric Evolution (Wks 4-7)
2.1    The solar nebula. Planetary formation processes and chemical equilibrium/mixing in the nebula.
2.2    Early steam atmospheres. Ocean-vaporizing impacts on Earth.
2.3    Noble gases and isotopes as indicators of atmospheric evolution. More atmospheric escape.
2.4    Evolution of Earth's atmosphere and climate over geologic history.
2.5    Evolution of Mars' atmosphere and climate
2.6    Evolution of Venus's atmosphere and climate
2.7    Evolution of Titan's atmosphere
2.8    Atmospheric spectroscopy of extrasolar planets

3.    Planetary Atmospheric Circulations: The moving structure (Wks 7-10)
3.1    Fluid mechanics basics. Geostrophic balance on Earth & Mars. Cyclostrophic balance. Rossby number.
3.2    Large-scale vertical motion. Richardson number.
3.3    Vorticity, potential vorticity. Atmospheric waves. Thermal tides.
3.4    Mars: observed circulation
3.5    Venus: observed circulation; superrotation
3.6    Titan: observed circulation
3.7    Triton and Pluto atmospheres. Thin atmospheres, e.g., Io.
3.8    Jupiter & extrasolar planet gas giants.