The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno

Until recently, observations of the giant planets of our Solar System were confined to sampling relatively shallow regions of their atmospheres, leaving many uncertainties as to the dynamics of deeper layers. The Cassini and Juno missions to Saturn and Jupiter, however, have begun to address these i...

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Main Author: Read, P
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Annual Reviews 2024
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author Read, P
author_facet Read, P
author_sort Read, P
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description Until recently, observations of the giant planets of our Solar System were confined to sampling relatively shallow regions of their atmospheres, leaving many uncertainties as to the dynamics of deeper layers. The Cassini and Juno missions to Saturn and Jupiter, however, have begun to address these issues, for example, by measuring their gravity and magnetic fields. The results show that the zonally coherent jets and cloud bands extend to levels where the electrical conductivity of the fluid becomes significant, whereas large-scale vortices, such as the Great Red Spot, are relatively shallow but may have deep-seated roots. The polar regions also exhibit intense cyclonic vortices that, on Jupiter, arrange themselves into remarkably regular “vortex crystals.” Numerical models seem able to capture some of this complexity, but many issues remain unresolved, suggesting a need for models that can represent both deep and shallow processes sufficiently realistically to compare with observations.
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spelling oxford-uuid:36a95a42-b9ce-4ede-8d43-05c952e666872024-01-08T13:30:49ZThe dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and JunoJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:36a95a42-b9ce-4ede-8d43-05c952e66687EnglishSymplectic ElementsAnnual Reviews2024Read, PUntil recently, observations of the giant planets of our Solar System were confined to sampling relatively shallow regions of their atmospheres, leaving many uncertainties as to the dynamics of deeper layers. The Cassini and Juno missions to Saturn and Jupiter, however, have begun to address these issues, for example, by measuring their gravity and magnetic fields. The results show that the zonally coherent jets and cloud bands extend to levels where the electrical conductivity of the fluid becomes significant, whereas large-scale vortices, such as the Great Red Spot, are relatively shallow but may have deep-seated roots. The polar regions also exhibit intense cyclonic vortices that, on Jupiter, arrange themselves into remarkably regular “vortex crystals.” Numerical models seem able to capture some of this complexity, but many issues remain unresolved, suggesting a need for models that can represent both deep and shallow processes sufficiently realistically to compare with observations.
spellingShingle Read, P
The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title_full The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title_fullStr The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title_full_unstemmed The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title_short The dynamics of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s weather layers: a synthesis after Cassini and Juno
title_sort dynamics of jupiter s and saturn s weather layers a synthesis after cassini and juno
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