What is it about?
Swirling storms on Jupiter are smaller at higher latitudes, and this computer study compares a range of storm sizes, from the Great Red Spot on down to eddies that are too small to resolve their internal motions. We also compare with Earth's oceanic eddies, which nicely fall in line with the Jupiter eddies. The one exception is the Great Red Spot itself, but interestingly, it is becoming less anomalous as it shrinks in size.
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Why is it important?
Jupiter shares as much or more in common with Earth's oceans as it does Earth's atmosphere. Both Jupiter and Earth's oceans contain hundreds of smaller, long-lived swirling eddies. By comparing the two populations of eddies, we are gaining greater insight into the balances and lifecycles of these long-lasting storms.
Perspectives
This project is a good example of comparative planetology, with eddies in Earth's oceans being compared directly to their cousins in Jupiter's atmosphere.
Professor Timothy E. Dowling
University of Louisville
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Simulations of high-latitude spots on Jupiter: Constraints on vortex strength and the deep wind, Planetary and Space Science, October 2005, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2005.05.002.
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