---

Recorded video: YouTube, Bilibili

---

Abstract:

The atmosphere of Venus is known for its harsh greenhouse effect, planet-wide sulfuric acid clouds, and fast westward winds. Apart from these planetary-scale structures, mesoscale processes, which are much smaller than the planet, might play crucial roles in the climate system. The complex cloud morphology observed in the ultraviolet wavelength region suggests that the Venusian atmosphere harbors a variety of mesoscale dynamics and associated cloud processes that are yet to be elucidated. JAXA’s Venus orbiter Akatsuki has been conducting continuous observations of the atmosphere using infrared and ultraviolet imaging and radio occultation, allowing investigation of mesoscale and planetary-scale processes and their interaction. In this talk, I will introduce the results of Akatsuki’s observations and their interpretations.

About the speaker:

Dr. Imamura is currently a professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan. After working on several space missions as a staff member at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), he moved to the university in 2016. His main expertise is the observation and modeling of planetary atmospheres, with an emphasis on Venusian atmospheric dynamics and cloud physics. He has also led the radio science in JAXA’s lunar mission Selene and Venus mission Akatsuki.

Audience in the world:

(image credit: timeanddate.com)

---