<p>Venus's surface temperature is hot everywhere at about 460⁰C. There may some small differences due to latitude, but not nearly as pronounced as on Earth or Mars. The supercritial CO2 that forms the lower atmosphere is a good conductor of heat, keeping surface temperatures very stable.</p>

<p>The article you refer to notes that models of the Venusian atmosphere predict somewhat higher temperatures at high altitude and latitude than can be inferred from measurements made during aerobraking. This tells us that the models of the atmosphere need to be tweaked. It doesn't mean that there is a region of cool temperatures at the poles.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-17T17:29:26.473Z
2018-02-17T17:29:26.473Z
James K
<p>I've stumbled across several articles about how <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys3733" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Venusian polar high atmosphere is really cold</a>. What these articles appear to fail to specify is what the surface temperatures of the poles are. I am interested in knowing the polar surface temperatures. I would think that convection would lower the polar surface temperature to lower amounts, but I don't know a lot about Venus's poles to say anything about this.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-17T05:55:19.273Z
The article you link to discusses the temperature in the "lower thermosphere" at a height of 130-140km to be 114K ±23. That is nowhere near the surface. Do you have another source or have you mis-understood this one?
James K
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-17T06:04:38.440Z
Didn't specify what part of the atmosphere. Sorry.
GoingFTL
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-17T07:10:14.577Z
Convection won't necessarily provide cooling to the surface because when the parcel of atmosphere is transported downward, it will be compressed and heated.  Surface pressure is +90bar, so that would be a lot of heating.
BowlOfRed
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-17T13:19:15.467Z
The surface of Venus is essentially isothermal w.r.t. latitude and longitude, due to the efficient heat conduction of superfluid $\rm CO_2$.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
<solar-system><planetary-atmosphere><temperature><venus>
Venusian polar surface temperatures
GoingFTL
# Venusian polar surface temperatures

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-17)

I've stumbled across several articles about how [the Venusian polar high atmosphere is really cold](https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys3733). What these articles appear to fail to specify is what the surface temperatures of the poles are. I am interested in knowing the polar surface temperatures. I would think that convection would lower the polar surface temperature to lower amounts, but I don't know a lot about Venus's poles to say anything about this.

**Tags:** solar-system, planetary-atmosphere, temperature, venus
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The article you link to discusses the temperature in the "lower thermosphere" at a height of 130-140km to be 114K ±23. That is nowhere near the surface. Do you have another source or have you mis-understood this one?  
> **username_0**: Didn't specify what part of the atmosphere. Sorry.  
> **username_2**: Convection won't necessarily provide cooling to the surface because when the parcel of atmosphere is transported downward, it will be compressed and heated.  Surface pressure is +90bar, so that would be a lot of heating.  
> **username_3**: The surface of Venus is essentially isothermal w.r.t. latitude and longitude, due to the efficient heat conduction of superfluid $\rm CO_2$.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-02-17. Score: 1

Venus's surface temperature is hot everywhere at about 460⁰C. There may some small differences due to latitude, but not nearly as pronounced as on Earth or Mars. The supercritial CO2 that forms the lower atmosphere is a good conductor of heat, keeping surface temperatures very stable.

The article you refer to notes that models of the Venusian atmosphere predict somewhat higher temperatures at high altitude and latitude than can be inferred from measurements made during aerobraking. This tells us that the models of the atmosphere need to be tweaked. It doesn't mean that there is a region of cool temperatures at the poles.


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