Speaker
Description
The equatorial jets observed on the Jovian planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—exhibit extreme zonal flow patterns, manifesting as either strongly prograde or strongly retrograde (Ingersoll, 1990). Existing theories have often treated gas giants and ice giants separately, primarily focusing on the shallower atmospheric layers of the ice giants (e.g., Schneider and Liu, 2009; Liu and Schneider, 2010). However, recent gravity measurements suggest that the convective envelope of Jupiter may be proportional to those of the ice giants, challenging the distinction between these planets (Kaspi et al., 2018). We present results from a numerical simulation introducing a unifying mechanism that can explain the equatorial jets on all four Jovian planets. In these simulations, as shown theoretically by Busse et al. (e.g., Busse, 1994) and numerically by many studies (e..g., Christensen, 2001; Jones et al., 2003; Heimpel et al., 2005; Jones and Kuzanyan, 2009; Kaspi et al., 2009; Gastine et al., 2013), the convective dynamics and planetary rotation of these planets drive the formation of tilted convection columns. These columns, extending cylindrically from the deep interior to the outer atmospheric layers, play a crucial role in shaping the zonal wind patterns. In this study, the tilting of the convection columns introduces asymmetries in momentum transport, leading to the bifurcation of the flow into either superrotation (prograde jets) or subrotation (retrograde jets). Through a detailed analysis of the convection-driven columnar structures, we demonstrate that the equatorial wave properties and the leading-order momentum balance share remarkable similarities between the two types of solutions. Our findings comprehensively explain the potential for both superrotation and subrotation solutions under constant physical conditions, thereby explaining the diverse zonal wind patterns observed on the Jovian planets and providing a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving equatorial jet formation.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 2 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Talk |
