The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics
Abstract The polar cyclone at Jupiter's south pole and the five cyclones surrounding it oscillate in position and interact. These cyclones, observed since 2016 by NASA's Juno mission, present a unique opportunity to study vortex dynamics and interactions on long time scales. The cyclones&#...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098708 |
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| _version_ | 1850182646598991872 |
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| author | Nimrod Gavriel Yohai Kaspi |
| author_facet | Nimrod Gavriel Yohai Kaspi |
| author_sort | Nimrod Gavriel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The polar cyclone at Jupiter's south pole and the five cyclones surrounding it oscillate in position and interact. These cyclones, observed since 2016 by NASA's Juno mission, present a unique opportunity to study vortex dynamics and interactions on long time scales. The cyclones' position data, acquired by Juno's JIRAM instrument, is analyzed, showing dominant oscillations with ∼12 month periods and amplitudes of ∼400 km. Here, the mechanism driving these oscillations is revealed by considering vorticity‐gradient forces generated by mutual interactions between the cyclones and the latitudinal variation in planetary vorticity. Data‐driven estimation of these forces exhibits a high correlation with the measured acceleration of the cyclones. To further test this mechanism, a model is constructed, simulating how cyclones subject to these forces exhibit similar oscillatory motion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec6eb17672ea415b8bb705fd879cb62c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec6eb17672ea415b8bb705fd879cb62c2025-08-20T02:17:34ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072022-08-014915n/an/a10.1029/2022GL098708The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity DynamicsNimrod Gavriel0Yohai Kaspi1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot IsraelDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot IsraelAbstract The polar cyclone at Jupiter's south pole and the five cyclones surrounding it oscillate in position and interact. These cyclones, observed since 2016 by NASA's Juno mission, present a unique opportunity to study vortex dynamics and interactions on long time scales. The cyclones' position data, acquired by Juno's JIRAM instrument, is analyzed, showing dominant oscillations with ∼12 month periods and amplitudes of ∼400 km. Here, the mechanism driving these oscillations is revealed by considering vorticity‐gradient forces generated by mutual interactions between the cyclones and the latitudinal variation in planetary vorticity. Data‐driven estimation of these forces exhibits a high correlation with the measured acceleration of the cyclones. To further test this mechanism, a model is constructed, simulating how cyclones subject to these forces exhibit similar oscillatory motion.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098708Jupiterpolar cyclonesvorticityatmospheric dynamicsoscillationspolar dynamics |
| spellingShingle | Nimrod Gavriel Yohai Kaspi The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics Geophysical Research Letters Jupiter polar cyclones vorticity atmospheric dynamics oscillations polar dynamics |
| title | The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics |
| title_full | The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics |
| title_fullStr | The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics |
| title_short | The Oscillatory Motion of Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Results From Vorticity Dynamics |
| title_sort | oscillatory motion of jupiter s polar cyclones results from vorticity dynamics |
| topic | Jupiter polar cyclones vorticity atmospheric dynamics oscillations polar dynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098708 |
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