High resolution spectra of Venus.

The existing high resolution spectra of Venus show considerable variations in the abundance of CO2. As this is the major constituent of the atmosphere, these day-to-day variations indicate the effective reflecting cloud layer is undergoing substantial vertical displacements over a relatively short time scale. The published observations indicate that CO is uniformly mixed with the CO2, but that the lines of HF may be formed deeper in the atmosphere and HCl lines considerably deeper. These conclusions are based on extrapolations of laboratory measurements and could be considerably altered by new laboratory measurements made under conditions similar to those near the tropopause in Venus.