With constant atmospheric scale height , a molecular band at height above the measured continuum satisfies . If an opaque exoplanet cloud deck sets that continuum, then ; the band pressure is not the cloud pressure. If the clear band height would be above a clear continuum at and the cloud reduces the visible feature to , then
Without the clear-atmosphere band opacity or , the measured feature amplitude alone cannot locate the cloud top. This follows directly by subtracting the two hydrostatic height relations.

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