Evidence for Widely Distributed Ammonia Ice on Jupiter

Details Evidence for Widely Distributed Ammonia Ice on Jupiter Evidence for Widely Distributed Ammonia Ice on Jupiter

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.1006s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #10.06

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Analysis of near-IR VIMS spectra of Jupiter implies the existence of cloud layers with substantial 3-micron absorption. This was also inferred from ISO spectra (Brooke et al., 1998, Icarus 136, 1-13) and from NIMS spectra (Irwin et al. 2001, Icarus 149, 397-415). Brooke et al. obtained good fits at 3-microns using ammonia as the absorber, but Irwin et al. rejected ammonia because a key 2-micron feature was absent. However, we find that NICMOS center-to-limb observations of Jupiter's low latitudes (PID 10161, de Pater, PI) are difficult to explain without a cloud layer that preferentially absorbs light near 2 microns. The combined evidence of 2-micron (NICMOS) and 3-micron (VIMS) absorptions indicate that ammonia ice particles are present, not just over the tiny fraction of Jupiter where Spectrally Identifiable Ammonia Clouds (SIACs) are observed (Baines et al. 2002, Icarus 159,74-94), but widely distributed, as suggested by other modeling efforts based on ISO spectra (Brooke et al., 1998) and SIRS spectra (Wong et al., 2004, P&SS 52, 385-395). We find good fits to both NICMOS and VIMS observations with a dual middle cloud layer, the lower of which (500-750 mb) is composed of ammonia ice, and the upper of which (350-450 mb) is gray and somewhat absorbing. This upper layer serves to mask the sharpest absorption feature of ammonia at wavelengths near 3 microns, without resorting to coating by other condensibles. Although 10-micron radius ammonia particles produce distinct 2-micron absorption features that are not seen in VIMS spectra, smaller particles produce less distinctive features and appear capable of fitting both VIMS spectra and NICMOS imaging observations. The most variable layer is 150-250 mb or more deeper than the ammonia layer and possibly composed of NH4SH.
This work was supported by NASA's Outer Planet Data Analysis and Cassini Data Analysis Programs.

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