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Interaction of Moist Convection with Zonal Jets on Jupiter and SaturnObservations suggest that moist convection plays an important role in the large-scale dynamics of Jupiter s and Saturn s atmospheres. Here we use a reduced-gravity quasigeostrophic model, with a parameterization of moist convection that is based on observations, to study the interaction between moist convection and zonal jets on Jupiter and Saturn. Stable jets with approximately the same width and strength as observations are generated in the model. The observed zonal jets violate the barotropic stability criterion but the modeled jets do so only if the flow in the deep underlying layer is westward. The model results suggest that a length scale and a velocity scale associated with moist convection control the width and strength of the jets. The length scale and velocity scale offer a possible explanation of why the jets of Saturn are stronger and wider than those of Jupiter.
Document ID
20070018784
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Li, Liming
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ingersoll, Andrew P.
(California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Huang, Xianglei
(Princeton Univ. NJ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2006
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Publisher: Elsevier
Volume: 180
ISSN: 0019-1035
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-13238
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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