Wind Streaks on Venus: Clues to Atmospheric Circulation
Ronald Greeley 1,
Gerald Schubert 2,
Daniel Limonadi 2,
Kelly C. Bender 1,
William I. Newman 2,
Peggy E. Thomas 1,
Catherine M. Weitz 3, and
Stephen D. Wall 3
1 Department of Geology, Box 871404, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1404
2 Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1567
3 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109
Magellan images reveal surface features on Venus attributed to wind processes. Sand dunes, wind-sculpted hills, and more than 5830 wind streaks have been identified. The streaks serve as local "wind vanes," representing wind direction at the time of streak formation and allowing the first global mapping of near-surface wind patterns on Venus. Wind streaks are oriented both toward the equator and toward the west. When streaks associated with local transient events, such as impact cratering, are deleted, the westward component is mostly lost but the equatorward component remains. This pattern is consistent with a Hadley circulation of the lower atmosphere.
Submitted on August 17, 1993
Accepted on November 18, 1993
