Evidence for the depletion of ammonia in the Uranus atmosphere

Abstract

The theoretical disk brightness temperature spectra for Uranus are computed and compared with the observed microwave spectrum. It is shown that the emission observed at short centimeter wavelengths originates deep below the region where ammonia would ordinarily begin to condense. We demonstrate that this result is inconsistent with a wide range of atmospheric models in which the partial pressure of NH 3 is given by the vapor-pressure equation in the upper atmosphere. It is estimated that the ammonia mixing ratio must be less than 10 −6 in the 150 to 200°K temperature range. This is two orders of magnitude less than the expected mixing ratio based on solar abundances. The evidence for this depletion and a possible explanation are discussed.