Water vapour in the middle atmosphere of Venus:: An improved treatment of the Venera 15 ir spectra

In 1983, spectra of Venus in the region of 6–40 μm were measured by means of the Fourier Spectrometer aboard the Venera 15 orbiter. It covered local solar times from 4 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 10 pm in the latitude range from 65°S up to 87°N. The results of an extended processing and analysis of these data are presented. Time and spatial variations of the water vapour were found. Most of the measurements fall in the range of 5–15 ppm, which is close to earlier results. The effective altitude of sounding is approximately equal to the altitude where the optical depth τ = 1. In the northern hemisphere, which was mainly covered by the measurements, two latitude regions can be distinguished; (A) 20° < φ < 50° and (B) φ > 60°, which are characterised by different altitudes of the level of τ = 1, 62 and 55 km respectively. Mean mixing ratios near this level in the two regions are almost the same, but the partial pressures and mass densities in the region (B) are 2–4 times greater than those in region (A). In region (A) a weak maximum was detected near 10 am local solar time (17 ppm at φ = 35°) and a minimum—near 10 pm (2ppm at φ = 30°). Region (B) is of inhomogeneous structure, and the retrieved mixing ratio has greater uncertainty and may probably change from the low values up to 30 ppm. In region (A) the water vapour mass density at the level of τ = 1 is 2–4 times greater than the mean density of the water contained in aerosol particles, while in region (B) this ratio may vary in the limits 0.5–5. Although the retrieval of H₂O mixing ratio altitude profile from the Venera 15 data appeared to be impossible, indirect indications were found that at least in region (A) the mixing ratio decreases with altitude.