Numerical simulations of Jupiter’s moist convection layer: Structure and dynamics in statistically steady states

Sugiyama, Ko; Nakajima, Kensuke; Odaka, Matsuo; Kuramoto, Kiyoshi; Hayashi, Yoshiyuki

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.10.016

Cited by 56 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Given the large scales of convective plumes (1000-5000 km, Gierasch et al, 2000;Hueso et al, 2002), multi-day lifetimes, and the detection of lightning activity by Galileo, Gierasch et al (2000) likened jovian plumes to mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), or clusters of thunderstorms observed on Earth (see detailed reviews in Houze, 1993Houze, , 2004Wallace and Hobbs, 2006;Thomson, 2015). Indeed, single-cell storms have lifetimes on the order of hours (Hueso and Sánchez-Lavega, 2001), whereas the multi-cell systems studied by Hueso et al (2002) and Sugiyama et al (2014) last for several days, more consistent with the observed lifetimes of convective spots on Jupiter (Li et al, 2004) and the plumes reported here (Section 3.2). In this section, we propose that many of the observed characteristics of the SEB revival can be understood via analogy to these terrestrial MCSs, albeit in the absence of a solid lower boundary.…”

Section: Moist Convection On Jupitersupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Previous studies have suggested that moist convection is integral to maintaining Jupiter's banded structure (e.g., Barcilon and Gierasch, 1970;Ingersoll et al, 2000;Hueso et al, 2002;Ingersoll et al, 2004;Showman and de Pater, 2005;Sugiyama et al, 2014;Thomson and McIntyre, 2016) and the vertical transport of a substantial fraction of Jupiter's 5.7 W/m 2 of internal heat (Gierasch et al, 2000). Given the large scales of convective plumes (1000-5000 km, Gierasch et al, 2000;Hueso et al, 2002), multi-day lifetimes, and the detection of lightning activity by Galileo, Gierasch et al (2000) likened jovian plumes to mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), or clusters of thunderstorms observed on Earth (see detailed reviews in Houze, 1993Houze, , 2004Wallace and Hobbs, 2006;Thomson, 2015).…”

Section: Moist Convection On Jupitermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Moist convection and the 2010–2011 revival of Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt

Fletcher

Orton

Rogers

et al. 2017

Icarus

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The transformation of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt (SEB) from its faded, whitened state in 2009-2010(Fletcher et al., 2011b to its normal brown appearance is documented via comparisons of thermal-infrared (5-20 µm) and visible-light imaging between November 2010 and November 2011. The SEB revival consisted of convective eruptions triggered over ∼ 100 days, potentially powered by the latent heat released by the condensation of water. The plumes rise from the water cloud base and ultimately diverge and cool in the stably-stratified upper troposphere. Thermal-IR images from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) were acquired 2 days after the SEB disturbance was first detected as a small white spot by amateur observers on November 9th 2010. Subsequent images over several months revealed the cold, putatively anticyclonic and cloudy plume tops (area 2.5 × 10 6 km 2 ) surrounded by warm, cloud-free conditions at their peripheries due to subsidence. The latent heating was not directly detectable in the 5-20 µm range. The majority of the plumes erupted from a single source near 140 − 160 • W, coincident with the remnant cyclonic circulation of a brown barge that had formed during the fade. The warm remnant of the cyclone could still be observed in IRTF imaging 5 days before the November 9th eruption. Additional plumes erupted from the leading edge of the central disturbance immediately east of the source, which propagated slowly eastwards to encounter the Great Red Spot. The tropospheric plumes were sufficiently vigorous to excite stratospheric thermal waves over the SEB with a 20 − 30 • longitudinal wavelength and 5-6 K temperature contrasts at 5 mbar, showing a direct connection between moist convection and stratospheric wave activity. The subsidence and compressional heating of dry, unsaturated air warmed the troposphere (particularly to the northwest of the central branch of the revival) and removed the aerosols that had been responsible for the fade. Dark, cloud-free lanes west of the plumes were the first to show the colour change, and elongated due to the zonal windshear to form the characteristic 'S-shape' of the revival complex. The aerosol-free air was redistributed and mixed throughout the SEB by the zonal flow, following a westward-moving southern branch and an eastwardmoving northern branch that revived the brown colouration over ∼ 200 days. The transition from the cool conditions of the SEBZ during the fade to the revived SEB caused a 2-4 K rise in 500-mbar temperatures (leaving a particularly warm southern SEB) and a reduction of aerosol opacity by factors of 2-3. Newly-cleared gaps in the upper tropospheric aerosol layer appeared different in filters sensing the ∼ 700-mbar cloud deck and the 2-3 bar cloud deck, suggesting complex vertical structure in the downdrafts. The last stage of the revival was the re-establishment of normal convective activity northwest of the GRS in September 2011, ∼ 840 days after the last occurrence in June 2009. Moist convection may therefore play an important role in controlling th...

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Section: Moist Convection On Jupitersupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Moist Convection On Jupitermentioning

confidence: 99%

Moist convection and the 2010–2011 revival of Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt

Fletcher

Orton

Rogers

et al. 2017

Icarus

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show abstract

“…The overall 4-8-year periods found in this study could hint at some moist convective process, where convective accumulated potential energy (CAPE) could be periodically released. Sugiyama et al (2014) performed numerical simulations of moist convection in Jupiter, showing periods of intermittency between convective eruptions of the order of tens of days. This is in agreement with some observed short-term scales events in Jupiter (e.g.…”

Section: Periodogram Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Jupiter’s Atmospheric Variability from Long-term Ground-based Observations at 5 μm

Antuñano

Fletcher

Orton

et al. 2019

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Jupiter's banded structure undergoes strong temporal variations, changing the visible and infrared appearance of the belts and zones in a complex and turbulent way due to physical processes that are not yet understood. In this study we use ground-based 5-µm infrared data captured between 1984 and 2018 by 8 different instruments mounted on the Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawai'i and on the Very Large Telescope in Chile to analyze and characterize the long-term variability of Jupiter's cloud-forming region at the 1-4 bar pressure level. The data show a large temporal variability mainly at the equatorial and tropical latitudes, with a smaller temporal variability at mid-latitudes. We also compare the 5-µm-bright and -dark regions with the locations of the visible zones and belts and we find that these regions are not always co-located, specially in the southern hemisphere. We also present Lomb-Scargle and Wavelet Transform analyzes in order to look for possible periodicities of the brightness changes that could help us understand their origin and predict future events. We see that some of these variations occur periodically in time intervals of 4-8 years. The reasons of these time intervals are not understood and we explore potential connections to both convective processes in the deeper weather layer and dynamical processes in the upper troposphere and stratosphere.Finally we perform a Principal Component analysis to reveal a clear anticorrelation on the 5-µm brightness changes between the North Equatorial Belt and the South Equatorial Belt, suggesting a possible connection between the changes in these belts.

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“…On the other hand, the background temperature is lower than the temperature of the moist adiabat, allowing moist instability. For giant planets, tropospheric stratification has been inferred from observations for Jupiter (Flasar & Gierasch 1986;Magalhães et al 2002;Reuter et al 2007), and it has been demonstrated by numerical simulations that the stratification in Jupiter could have resulted from the latent heating of water condensation (Nakajima et al 2000;Sugiyama et al 2014). …”

Section: Conditional Instabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Latent Heating on Atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and Directly Imaged Planets

Tan

Showman

2017

ApJ

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The growing number of observations of brown dwarfs (BDs) has provided evidence for strong atmospheric circulation on these objects. Directly imaged planets share similar observations and can be viewed as low-gravity versions of BDs. Vigorous condensate cycles of chemical species in their atmospheres are inferred by observations and theoretical studies, and latent heating associated with condensation is expected to be important in shaping atmospheric circulation and influencing cloud patchiness. We present a qualitative description of the mechanisms by which condensational latent heating influences circulation, and then illustrate them using an idealized general circulation model that includes a condensation cycle of silicates with latent heating and molecular weight effect due to the rainout of the condensate. Simulations with conditions appropriate for typical T dwarfs exhibit the development of localized storms and east-west jets. The storms are spatially inhomogeneous, evolving on a timescale of hours to days and extending vertically from the condensation level to the tropopause. The fractional area of the BD covered by active storms is small. Based on a simple analytic model, we quantitatively explain the area fraction of moist plumes and show its dependence on the radiative timescale and convective available potential energy (CAPE). We predict that if latent heating dominates cloud formation processes, the fractional coverage area of clouds decreases as the spectral type goes through the L/T transition from high to lower effective temperature. This is a natural consequence of the variation of the radiative timescale and CAPE with the spectral type.

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Numerical simulations of Jupiter’s moist convection layer: Structure and dynamics in statistically steady states

Cited by 56 publications

References 40 publications

Moist convection and the 2010–2011 revival of Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt

Moist convection and the 2010–2011 revival of Jupiter’s South Equatorial Belt

Jupiter’s Atmospheric Variability from Long-term Ground-based Observations at 5 μm

Effects of Latent Heating on Atmospheres of Brown Dwarfs and Directly Imaged Planets

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