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Depth of a strong jovian jet from a planetary-scale disturbance driven by storms

Naturevolume 451, pages437–440 (2008)Cite this article

ACorrigendum to this article was published on 21 February 2008

Abstract

The atmospheres of the gas giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn) contain jets that dominate the circulation at visible levels1,2. The power source for these jets (solar radiation, internal heat, or both) and their vertical structure below the upper cloud are major open questions in the atmospheric circulation and meteorology of giant planets1,2,3. Several observations1 andin situ measurements4 found intense winds at a depth of 24 bar, and have been interpreted as supporting an internal heat source. This issue remains controversial5, in part because of effects from the local meteorology6. Here we report observations and modelling of two plumes in Jupiter’s atmosphere that erupted at the same latitude as the strongest jet (23° N). The plumes reached a height of 30 km above the surrounding clouds, moved faster than any other feature (169 m s-1), and left in their wake a turbulent planetary-scale disturbance containing red aerosols. On the basis of dynamical modelling, we conclude that the data are consistent only with a wind that extends well below the level where solar radiation is deposited.

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Figure 1:Plume onset, growth and disturbance development (March–May 2007).
Figure 2:Time dependence of the profile of the north temperate jet.
Figure 3:Models of the plume onset and disturbance development.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the contributors to the International Outer Planet Watch (IOPW) observing programme for their efforts in the Jupiter imaging survey. This work was supported by the MEC PNAYA, Grupos UPV, CESCA (Barcelona) and Fondos FEDER. R.H. was supported by the ‘Ramón y Cajal’ programme. We acknowledge the HST director’s discretionary times. G.S.O. and P.Y.-F. were visiting astronomers at the IRTF, supported by the University of Hawaii and NASA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Física Aplicada I, ETS Ingenieros, Universidad del País Vasco, Alameda Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao, Spain,

    A. Sánchez-Lavega, R. Hueso & S. Pérez-Hoyos

  2. MS 169-237, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109, USA ,

    G. S. Orton & P. Yanamandra-Fisher

  3. Esteve Duran Observatory Foundation, 085330 Seva, Spain

    E. García-Melendo & J. M. Gómez

  4. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, Maryland 2077, USA ,

    A. Simon-Miller

  5. Departamento de Física Aplicada I, EUITI, Universidad País Vasco, Plaza Casilla s/n, 48013 Bilbao, Spain,

    J. F. Rojas

  6. Department of Physics, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK,

    L. Fletcher

  7. Principia College, 1 Maybeck Place, Elsah, Illinois 62028, USA ,

    J. Joels

  8. California State Polytechnic University, 3801 West Temple Street, Pomona, California 91768, USA ,

    J. Kemerer

  9. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA ,

    J. Hora

  10. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA ,

    E. Karkoschka

  11. Astronomy Department,,

    I. de Pater & M. H. Wong

  12. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-3411, USA,

    P. S. Marcus

  13. Telescopio Nazionale Galileo Galilei (TNG), Roque de Los Muchachos Astronomical Observatory, 38700 Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain ,

    N. Pinilla-Alonso

  14. Centro de Estudos do Universo (CEU), 17380-000 Brotas, Brazil

    F. Carvalho

  15. Physics Department, University of San Carlos, Nasipit, Talamban, 6000 Cebu City, Philippines,

    C. Go

  16. Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO), 12911 Lerida Street, Coral Gables, Florida 33156, USA ,

    D. Parker

  17. IceInSpace, PO Box 9127, Wyoming, New South Wales 2250, Australia ,

    M. Salway

  18. Astronomical Society of Victoria, GPO Box 1059, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia ,

    M. Valimberti

  19. Mathematics and Computer Science, 82 Merryville Drive, Murrumbateman 2582, Australia ,

    A. Wesley

  20. 23 Attunga Street, Kingston 4114, Queensland, Australia ,

    Z. Pujic

Authors
  1. A. Sánchez-Lavega

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  2. G. S. Orton

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  3. R. Hueso

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  4. E. García-Melendo

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  5. S. Pérez-Hoyos

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  6. A. Simon-Miller

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  7. J. F. Rojas

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  8. J. M. Gómez

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  9. P. Yanamandra-Fisher

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  10. L. Fletcher

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  11. J. Joels

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  12. J. Kemerer

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  13. J. Hora

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  14. E. Karkoschka

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  15. I. de Pater

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  16. M. H. Wong

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  17. P. S. Marcus

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  18. N. Pinilla-Alonso

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  19. F. Carvalho

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  20. C. Go

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  21. D. Parker

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  22. M. Salway

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  23. M. Valimberti

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  24. A. Wesley

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  25. Z. Pujic

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Corresponding author

Correspondence toA. Sánchez-Lavega.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

The file contains Supplementary Notes, Supplementary Tables S1-S2, Supplementary Figures S1-S3 with Legends and additional references. (PDF 368 kb)

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Sánchez-Lavega, A., Orton, G., Hueso, R.et al. Depth of a strong jovian jet from a planetary-scale disturbance driven by storms.Nature451, 437–440 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06533

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Editorial Summary

Jupiter's fiercest jet

To coincide with the flyby of the Pluto-bound New Horizons probe, Jupiter was the target of intensive observation, starting in February 2007, from a battery of ground-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Weeks into the project, on 25 March, an intense disturbance developed in Jupiter's strongest jet at 23° North latitude, lasting to June 2007. This type of event is rare — the last ones were seen in 1990 and 1975. The onset of the disturbance was captured by the HST, and the development of two plumes was followed in unprecedented detail. The two plumes (bright white spots in the small infrared image on the cover) towered 30 km above the surrounding clouds. The nature of the power source for the jets that dominate the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn is a controversial matter, complicated by the interplay of local and planet-wide meteorological factors. The new observations are consistent with a wind extending deep into the atmosphere, well below the level reached by solar radiation. In the larger cover image, turbulence caused by the plumes can be seen in the band that is home to the jet.

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