We analyze cold-gas distributions in Virgo cluster galaxies using resolved
CO(2-1) (tracing molecular hydrogen, H2) and HI observations from the Virgo
Environment Traced In CO (VERTICO) and the VLA Imaging of Virgo in Atomic Gas
(VIVA) surveys. From a theoretical perspective, it is expected that
environmental processes in clusters will have a stronger influence on diffuse
atomic gas compared to the relatively dense molecular gas component, and that
these environmental perturbations can compress the cold interstellar medium in
cluster galaxies leading to elevated star formation. In this work we
observationally test these predictions for star-forming satellite galaxies
within the Virgo cluster. We divide our Virgo galaxy sample into HI-normal,
HI-tailed, and HI-truncated classes and show, unsurprisingly, that the
HI-tailed galaxies have the largest quantitative HI asymmetries. We also
compare to a control sample of non-cluster galaxies and find that Virgo
galaxies, on average, have HI asymmetries that are 40 +/- 10 per cent larger
than the control. There is less separation between control, HI-normal,
HI-tailed, and HI-truncated galaxies in terms of H2 asymmetries, and on
average, Virgo galaxies have H2 asymmetries that are only marginally (20 +/- 10
per cent) larger than the control sample. We find a weak correlation between HI
and H2 asymmetries over our entire sample, but a stronger correlation for those
specific galaxies being strongly impacted by environmental perturbations.
Finally, we divide the discs of the HI-tailed Virgo galaxies into a leading
half and trailing half according to the observed tail direction. We find
evidence for excess molecular gas mass on the leading halves of the disc. This
excess molecular gas on the leading half is accompanied by an excess in star
formation rate such that the depletion time is, on average, unchanged.