Published April 28, 2026
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A Short Note on the Comparison between the Tropospheres of Venus and Mars: Version 2 – 28 April 2026 – with Viking 1 limb image of Mars
- 1. Independent Researcher
Description
This Version 2 is an update of the original short note of 19 February 2023 that compares key tropospheric parameters of Venus and Mars. Despite massive differences in surface pressure and temperature, both planets exhibit almost identical tropical tropopause heights (~62–63 km). The analysis concludes that the low-pressure Martian troposphere is radiatively transparent to CO₂ thermal emission, with adiabatic convection (not radiative opacity) as the dominant control on the shared tropopause elevation.
Version 2 provides 1976 Nasa Viking 1 observational support for the ~61 Km thick dust transport dominated troposphere around the planet Mars.
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A Short Note on the Comparison between the Tropospheres of Venus and Mars V2 28Apr26.pdf
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References
- Mulholland, Philip, Octant Polar Diagrams: A New Way to Display the Migrating Tropical Tropopause and Polar Vortices on Mars Using MCS MY29 Data (December 16, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6171347 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6171347
- Heavens, N.G., McCleese, D.J., Richardson, M.I., Kass, D.M., Kleinböhl, A. and Schofield, J.T., 2011. Structure and dynamics of the Martian lower and middle atmosphere as observed by the Mars Climate Sounder: 2. Implications of the thermal structure and aerosol distributions for the mean meridional circulation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 116(E1). https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2010JE003713
- Leovy, C.E., Zurek, R.W. and Pollack, J.B., 1973. Mechanisms for Mars dust storms. Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 30(5), pp.749-762. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/atsc/30/5/1520-0469_1973_030_0749_mfmds_2_0_co_2.xml
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- Mulholland, P., Wilde, S.P.R. and Heavens, N.G. 2021 MY29 Seasonal Panels Night 18Mar21. Research Gate Publication 363762939 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.34221.77280/1.
- Mulholland, P., Wilde, S.P.R. and Heavens, N.G. 2021 MY29 Seasonal Panels Day 18Mar21. Research Gate Publication 363763024 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25833.16486/1
- Mulholland, P. and Wilde, S.P.R. 2023. Mars MY29 Atmosphere Average Tables 07Jan23. Research Gate Publication 369475537. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369475537_Mars_MY29_Atmosphere_Average_Tables_07Jan23
- Shirley, J.H., McKim, R.J., Battalio, J.M. and Kass, D.M., 2020. Orbit‐spin coupling and the triggering of the Martian planet‐encircling dust storm of 2018. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125(6), p.e2019JE006077 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019JE006077