Other
Scientific paper
Oct 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.3706f&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #37.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.488
Other
Scientific paper
Cassini's near-polar orbit in late 2006 and early 2007 provided a unique opportunity to study Saturn's poles near-simultaneously using the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS). The high spatial resolution and broad spectral coverage (7-1000 microns) of Cassini/CIRS was used to study the atmospheric circulation and composition in the upper troposphere (80-800 mbar) and stratosphere (1-6 mbar) at high latitudes in both hemispheres. A suite of radiative transfer and optimal estimation retrieval codes were used to derive both the temperature field and the distribution of disequilibrium species in Saturn's atmosphere. This allowed us to investigate the seasonal differences in atmospheric dynamics between the warmth of Saturn's southern summer and the darkness of the north polar winter.
Vertical and zonal windspeeds will be compared at both poles, along with the identification of zonal thermal wave activity (such as the prominent north polar hexagon) associated with both hot cyclonic regions of atmospheric subsidence and cooler anticyclonic regions of upwelling. The inferred circulation systems will be discussed in the context of their implications for global atmospheric dynamics on Saturn and the other outer planets.
Acknowledgments: This work was funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK. We acknowledge the members of the CIRS science planning team who have assisted in the design of the imaging sequences, instrument commands and other vital operational tasks.
Achterberg Richard K.
Bjoraker Gordon L.
Bowles Neil
Calcutt Simon B.
de Kok Remco
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