In the 1970s, Venus probe missions found a mysterious temperature distribution of the high-temperature zone surrounded by the cold zone over the Venus polar region. However, the mechanism of how such a temperature distribution was formed and has been maintained for a long period had not been clarified until now.
The research team elucidated the following mechanism of generating the high-temperature region over the Venus polar area through a study by a numerical simulation.

First, south-north atmospheric flows are generated due to heating of the Venusian cloud layer by solar light. These flows are accumulated over the Venusian polar region to become descending current. Atmospheric flows toward the lower altitude of high atmospheric pressure are condensed. One of the characters of a gas is that its temperature becomes higher when being condensed. The process of accumulating atmospheric flows in the polar region is related to a gigantic wave wrapping around Venus. The computer model indicates that a gigantic wave is a cause of continuous high temperature in some parts of the polar region.

The Venus Climate Orbiter “AKATSUKI” will start its full-scale observations in April 2016. When a multiple number of cameras aboard the AKATSUKI observe and show us the strength of the south-north atmosphere flows and the temperature distribution, the theoretical model in this research will be verified, and our understanding of the Venusian atmosphere and weather is expected to be further deepened by interpreting observation results using the model.