Modeling Zonal Flows on the Giant Planets

Details Modeling Zonal Flows on the Giant Planets Modeling Zonal Flows on the Giant Planets

Dec 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004agufm.p44a..08h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2004, abstract #P44A-08

Physics

5707 Atmospheres: Structure And Dynamics, 3230 Numerical Solutions, 3314 Convective Processes, 3319 General Circulation, 0343 Planetary Atmospheres (5405, 5407, 5409, 5704, 5705, 5707)

Scientific paper

Large-scale zonal flows, as observed on the giant planets, can result from deeply driven thermal convection in a rapidly rotating spherical shell. Using 3D numerical models, we study the affects of velocity boundary conditions and spherical shell geometry on zonal flow generation. The radius ratio, χ = ri/r_o, where ri is the inner shell boundary and ro is the outer shell boundary, is varied over the range 0.60 ≤ χ ≤ 0.923. The resulting surface zonal flow Rossby numbers for the models are comparable to those measured on the giant planets. In all our calculations a prograde barotropic jet forms in the equatorial region. This jet is flanked by large-scale alternating baroclinic jets at higher latitudes. Near the poles, an upwelling along the rotation axis is associated with a strong vortex structure. Superimposed on this are small-scale zonal flows driven by local 3D vortical convection that occurs only in this polar region. Scaling behavior for the number of alternating jets and their strength will be presented. The relevance of our numerical models to the characteristics and differences between zonal flows on Jupiter and Saturn will be discussed.

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