Venus’ clouds have more water and are less acidic than previously thought

Interesting … new study suggests that Venus' clouds have more water than previously thought, so the sulphuric acid is also less concentrated. That's good for the possibility of microbial life. Also oxidized iron in the clouds. 🤔

"A new analysis of the aerosols in Venus’ clouds, from data originally collected in 1978 during the Pioneer Venus mission, has found evidence for substantial water and iron. The study, Re-analysis of Pioneer Venus data: Water, iron sulfate, and sulfuric acid are major components in Venus’ aerosols, was led by Rakesh Mogul, a professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and published online this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

According to Mogul and his team, Venus’ cloud aerosols contain iron sulfates and sulfuric acid in comparable masses (~ 20% by mass) and three-fold higher abundances of water (~ 60% by mass). This conclusion significantly updates the current perception that the cloud aerosols are composed of highly concentrated sulfuric acid. This also challenges the notion that Venus’ atmosphere is dry, where water is extremely limited. Rather, through careful re-analysis of the Pioneer Venus data, the team discovered several lines of evidence supporting a complex aerosol composition containing substantial water and oxidized iron. Their results suggest that the water is bound in hydrates, or water-bearing compounds, such as hydrated ferric sulfate, hydrated magnesium sulfate, and other hydrates."

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JE008582https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JE008582