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Release of "ALERA-V": The World's First Objective Analysis Dataset for the Venus Atmosphere

Japanese

A joint research team, including Team Principal Takemasa Miyoshi from the RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS), has successfully constructed and publicly released "ALERA-V version 1.0," a Venus atmospheric objective analysis dataset (meteorological dataset). This dataset was developed by integrating observation data from the Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter "Akatsuki" with numerical simulations running on the supercomputer "Earth Simulator". This achievement marks the world's first public release of a global-scale objective analysis dataset for a planet other than Earth or Mars.

Key Highlights

  • World's First Open Dataset: The release of "ALERA-V version 1.0" provides the first global meteorological dataset for Venus by fusing "Akatsuki" observations with numerical simulations.
  • Standardized Meteorological Foundation: The published research details the dataset's creation methods, quality evaluation, data format, and usage, providing a widely accessible research foundation for scientists globally.
  • Platform for Future Research and Exploration: The dataset is expected to accelerate both scientific understanding of long-term atmospheric variations on Venus and engineering developments for future exploration missions, such as trajectory designs for balloons or landers.

Background and Methodology

  • Venus is often called Earth's twin, but its atmospheric circulation differs significantly, notably exhibiting a "super-rotation" where the atmosphere rotates at speeds up to 60 times faster than the planet's surface.
  • Because thick sulfuric acid clouds cover the entire planet, comprehending the overall atmospheric movements and their temporal variations through direct observation has been highly challenging.
  • To address this, the research team utilized the Venus atmospheric data assimilation system "ALEDAS-V" to incorporate horizontal winds observed by "Akatsuki" into the atmospheric general circulation model "AFES-Venus".
  • The extensive data assimilation calculations required for this process were executed using the supercomputer "Earth Simulator".
  • ALERA-V (AFES-LETKF experimental ensemble objective (re)analysis for the Venus atmosphere) provides a continuous, grid-point representation of the Venusian atmosphere from an altitude of 0 km to 120 km, reconstructing continuous atmospheric flows from previously fragmented observation data.

Publication Information

  • The research was published as a data paper in the international academic journal Geoscience Data Journal online on May 12, 2026.
    DOI; 10.1002/gdj3.70080
  • The dataset itself is openly available and can be accessed through JAXA's data portal site, "DARTS".

（May 20, 2026）

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