This is an image of Earth's tropospheric clouds.
Click on image for full size
Uranus' Troposphere
The troposphere of Uranus is where the
methane clouds are. Clouds form in regions of strong atmospheric motion when condensation takes place. The troposphere is the region rapidly stirred by vertical
motions.
The troposphere is warmed by the sun, warmed by Uranus' interior, and is cooled due to re-radiation to space by the gases of the atmosphere. For a picture showing how the temperature changes in this region, click here.
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This special issue of The Earth Scientist, which focuses on Earth System science, was sponsored by The Pennsylvania State University TESSE Team. The issue features the work of middle and high school teachers, and graduate and undergraduate students who have participated in the TESSE program from 2006 - 2009.
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The methane clouds of Uranus are found low in the atmosphere. The methane clouds are the only clouds to be found on Uranus, but there are hazes of smog high in the atmosphere. The diagram shows that the
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This is the temperature profile of Uranus' troposphere. The temperature becomes cooler with height until the tropopause, or "top" of the troposphere is reached. The tropopause is defined to be the altitude
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As on Earth, the atmosphere of Uranus consists of a troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. The troposphere is the region where the visible clouds are to be found. The stratosphere, as
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Besides methane, Uranus' atmosphere contains even more complex molecules such as ethane gas. (These gases are similar to the exhaust gases that come out of cars on earth). These molecules form layers of
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The mesosphere of Uranus is a region of balance between warming and cooling. That essentially means that nothing happens there. Except for diffusion, the atmosphere is still. Upper reaches of the atmosphere,
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On Uranus, as on Jupiter, the winds in the belts and zones blow first in one direction, then in the opposite direction. Wind blows east in a belt, and west in a zone. The clouds rise up in a belt, and
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The clouds on Uranus, like Jupiter, are divided into belts and zones. On Uranus the belts and zones are hard to find. The left picture shows the north pole of Uranus. In this picture only the smog of
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