Atmospheric super-rotation is the state where a

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

rotates faster than the planet itself. The atmosphere of Venus is one example of extreme super-rotation; the Venusian atmosphere circles the planet in just four Earth days, much faster than Venus'

sidereal day Sidereal time (as a unit also sidereal day or sidereal rotation period) (sidereal ) is a timekeeping system that astronomers use to locate celestial objects. Using sidereal time, it is possible to easily point a telescope to the proper coord ...

of 243 Earth days. Atmospheric super-rotation has also been observed on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. It is believed that the Earth's

thermosphere The thermosphere is the layer in the Earth's atmosphere directly above the mesosphere and below the exosphere. Within this layer of the atmosphere, ultraviolet radiation causes photoionization/photodissociation of molecules, creating ions; the ...

has a small net super-rotation in excess of the surface rotational velocity, although estimates of the size of the phenomenon vary widely. Some models suggest that

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

is likely to cause an increase in super-rotation in future, including possible super-rotation of surface winds.

References

{{climate-stub Climate change and the environment