what would be the temperature of venus if it had a similar size to earth, similar atmosphere thickness and had the atmosphere composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide and methane

1 answer

If Venus had a similar size to Earth, a comparable atmosphere thickness, and an atmosphere primarily composed of carbon dioxide and methane, the temperature would be heavily influenced by the greenhouse effect.

Currently, Venus has an incredibly thick atmosphere mostly made up of carbon dioxide (about 96.5%) and a small percentage of nitrogen, with trace amounts of other gases. This results in surface temperatures around 467 degrees Celsius (872 degrees Fahrenheit). The greenhouse effect is extremely strong on Venus due to this high concentration of carbon dioxide, which traps heat effectively.

If we consider an Earth-sized Venus with a similar atmospheric pressure and thickness (let's say around 1 bar) but maintaining a high concentration of carbon dioxide and methane, you would still expect a significant greenhouse effect, although perhaps not as extreme as in the current state of Venus. Methane is also a potent greenhouse gas, but it exists in much lower concentrations on Venus compared to carbon dioxide.

Estimating a temperature for such a scenario would be complex, but one could speculate that if the conditions mirror a sort of balanced state similar to Earth, the temperatures would still likely be elevated. Instead of the current near 470 °C, temperatures could be lower than that but could still be above 100 °C (212 °F) due to the greenhouse effects of both carbon dioxide and methane.

In summary, if Venus had a similar size and atmospheric thickness to Earth but with carbon dioxide and methane as the primary components, temperatures would likely be high—possibly in the range of a few hundred degrees Celsius—due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. However, precise calculations would depend on various factors such as aerosol content, surface conditions, and more.