Atmospheres of planets, moons and dwarf planets in the Solar System display a large variety in composition as well as temperature and pressure structure. Aside from differences in the initial formation environments, the observed variety is mostly related to a wide range of atmospheric processes which are highly dependent on the orbital characteristics and fundamental properties of each body. Such processes include atmospheric escape, interactions with solar wind, photochemistry, cloud and aerosol physics and chemistry, condensation and sublimation cycles, surface/air interactions.<br/>A comprehensive description of the atmospheres’ 3-D compositional structure, including seasonal and diurnal variations, is essential to identify the signatures of ongoing chemical processes and to unravel their respective roles in the shaping and evolution of planetary atmospheres. This can only be achieved by using a combination of spectroscopic and photometric observation techniques ranging from the UV to the radio domain, which probe atmospheric molecules and atoms at various altitudes levels through different radiation mechanisms. Such ground and space-based observations are highly complementary of the information provided by planetary missions, and in addition provide the large-scale context necessary for the interpretation of spatially focused and time-restricted spacecraft observations.<br/>In this talk, I will show with a few recent examples how observations from the most advanced ground and space-based facilities (HST, IRTF, Herschel, ALMA, EVLA) and their combined interpretation have dramatically advanced the understanding of several Solar System bodies.

Unveiling the chemical complexity of planetary atmospheres through ground and space-based observations

252nd National Meeting (2016)

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