Near-IR Cloud Reflectivities on Titan and the Giant Planets
Abstract
Cloud formation occurs in all the dense atmospheres of the solar system. The composition and altitude of clouds impact the radiative balance and vis-IR spectra of planets. The reflectivity spectra of clouds have been parameterized in radiative transfer models with differing levels of detail, from large optically thick grey/white scatterers to combinations of various low-order polynomials and estimates from scattering theory. Uncertainties in the opacity of the atmosphere above clouds can limit our ability to observationally constrain the cloud reflectivity spectrum. Nonetheless, reasonable inferences about the chemical composition of clouds should provide additional clues about the plausibility of the reflectivity spectra used in models. Recent laboratory measurements of hydrocarbon ice spectra can be used in models for interpreting remote observations. Here we present our work on the physical interpretation of cloud reflectivities in our radiative transfer models.
- Publication:
-
AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #42
- Pub Date:
- October 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010DPS....42.3626A