The Saturnian ribbon feature: A baroclinically unstable model

Using measurements made by the Voyager spacecraft, an oscillatory feature in the northern midlatitudes of Saturn is examined. Measurements made by the imaging and infrared instruments are used to estimate its horizontal wavelength and vertical extent. Some of these characteristics suggest that the feature could be due to baroclinic instability. A numerical model is described of such an instability with parameters based upon the Voyager observations, and using the lower boundary condition developed by Gierasch et al for the Jovian planets.