Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1775854 | Icarus | 2006 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Jupiter's eastward jet at 24° N, which formerly had the fastest winds on the planet, has maintained a less extreme speed of ∼135 m/s since 1991, carrying a series of long-lived vortices at 125 m/s. In 2002–2003, as the albedo of the adjacent North Temperate Belt increased, the tracks of the vortices accelerated slightly, and they had disappeared by 2005. In 2005, small tracers had a mean speed of 146.4 (±0.9) m/s, significantly faster than the previous mean speed of the jet, suggesting that the jet peak itself has accelerated at cloud-top level, and that the jet is beginning to return to the super-fast state. These changes may resemble the even greater transformations occurring in the equatorial jet of Saturn.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
John H. Rogers, Hans-Jörg Mettig, Damian Peach,