Reconciling Near-Infrared and Microwave Analyses of Neptune's Hydrogen Sulphide Distribution

Previous analysis of Neptune’s atmosphere using near-infrared Gemini/NIFS observations found the strongest spectral signature of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) to be at the planet’s south pole. Conversely, analysis of microwave observations with ALMA in 2019 suggested a distribution of H2S that peaks in the midlatitudes and is strongly depleted towards the pole. We analyse near-infrared observations from VLT-SINFONI in 2018 and fit a parametrized cloud model to the data using nested sampling. By prescribing a latitudinally-varying methane (CH4) profile previously derived from visible light observations, we find general agreement with the microwave analysis, with an enhancement of H2S by a factor of ∼4 at the southern midlatitudes compared to polar latitudes. The stronger spectral signature at the pole is explained with a deeper cloud top, resulting in a higher cloud-top H2S column abundance in this region. Our results are indicative of deep upwelling at the midlatitudes, with downwelling at the pole and possibly near the equator.