Statistics – Computation
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.1123s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #11.23; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1021
Statistics
Computation
Scientific paper
With a planetary energy balance near unity, Uranus' atmospheric dynamics are largely mediated by incoming solar radiation. Combined with its extreme axial tilt of 97 degrees, the seasonal variation of the planet's circulation is expected to be significant. We employ the EPIC general circulation model to study these seasonal effects.
Uranus spin-up experiments require on the order of a century of simulation time, and hence we have developed a new, computationally efficient radiation code within EPIC for this application. We band-model the methane absorption spectrum to determine the fraction of insolation that is deposited at each vertical layer within the simulated atmosphere. Each vertical layer, in turn, re-radiates longwave infrared radiation; optically thick layers radiate primarily via the H2-H2 collisional-induced absorption spectrum, while optically thin layers radiate primarily through the 7.8-micron methane emission band. By modeling these processes, we find our simulated temperature-pressure profile generally agrees with the 1986 Voyager observations.
We present the results of our spin-up experiments. The zonal wind generated during equinox shows a qualitative similarity to the observed Uranian zonal winds, with two symmetric high-latitude prograde jets. However, the zonal wind generated during solstice shows considerable asymmetry about the equator, a feature that has been noted in recent observations. We explore the underlying mechanism causing this dichotomy, and hypothesize that the zonal wind at any time is a summation of the solstice and equinox generated winds. This work is funded by NSF grant AST-0807989.
Chanover Nancy Janet
Dowling Timothy E.
Sussman Michael
No associations
LandOfFree
Modeling Uranus' Circulation With The EPIC GCM does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Modeling Uranus' Circulation With The EPIC GCM, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Modeling Uranus' Circulation With The EPIC GCM will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1121670