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    A comparative study of the early terrestrial atmospheres with interactive cloud formation

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    Author
    Schmunk, Robert Bradley
    Date
    1990
    Advisor
    Chamberlain, Joseph W.
    Degree
    Master of Science
    Abstract
    Due to their formation at about the same time in the same region of the early solar nebula, it is reasonable to assume that the primitive atmospheres of Earth, Mars and Venus were similar and that present-day differences have arisen as a result of their differing masses and incident solar fluxes. Using a radiative-convective model, we determine maximum and minimum carbon dioxide levels for the early atmospheres which are consistent with this assumption and with climatic conditions thought to have existed on the three terrestrial planets 4.0 billion years ago. Rather than employ the cloud-free atmosphere approach of earlier studies, we include an interactive water vapor transport and cloud formation scheme in the model. Due to uncertainties about the direction of cloud cover feedback, we treat cloud cover as fixed. For most cases examined, we set the cloud cover at 50%, but the effect of varying cloud cover is also explored.
    Keyword
    Atmospheric sciences; Astronomy; Astrophysics
    Citation
    Schmunk, Robert Bradley. "A comparative study of the early terrestrial atmospheres with interactive cloud formation." (1990) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. https://hdl.handle.net/1911/13467.
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    Managed by the Digital Scholarship Services at Fondren Library, Rice University
    Physical Address: 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
    Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O.BOX 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
    Site Map