Triton's surface-atmosphere energy balance

A model encompassing the turbulent transfer of sensible heat as well as insolation, reradiation, and latent heat transport is presently used to investigate the energetics of the surface-atmosphere system of Triton. Under the assumption of a physically plausible range of heat transfer coefficients, the atmospheric temperature 1 km above the surface is found to be 1-3 K hotter than the Triton surface. The observed N2 frosts must have an emissivity lower than unity in order to match a frost temperature at the surface of about 38 K.