Cycles of Activity in the Jovian Atmosphere [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1708.05180


Jupiter’s banded appearance may appear unchanging to the casual observer, but closer inspection reveals a dynamic, ever-changing system of belts and zones with distinct cycles of activity. Identification of these long-term cycles requires access to datasets spanning multiple jovian years, but explaining them requires multi-spectral characterization of the thermal, chemical, and aerosol changes associated with visible color variations. The Earth-based support campaign for Juno’s exploration of Jupiter has already characterized two upheaval events in the equatorial and temperate belts that are part of long-term jovian cycles, whose underlying sources could be revealed by Juno’s exploration of Jupiter’s deep atmosphere.

Read this paper on arXiv…

L. Fletcher
Fri, 18 Aug 17
5/47

Comments: 9 pages, 1 figures, Commentary published in Geophysical Research Letters