The Role of Vortex Shielding on Polar Crystal Formation & Vortex Dynamics on Jupiter

<div class="ui-layout-east ui-layout-pane ui-layout-pane-east ui-layout-pane-hover ui-layout-pane-east-hover ui-layout-pane-open-hover ui-layout-pane-east-open-hover"> <div class="pdf-viewer"> <div class="pdfjs-viewer pdfjs-viewer-outer"> <div class="pdfjs-viewer-inner" tabindex="0" role="tabpanel"> <div class="pdfViewer"> <div class="page" role="region" data-page-number="1" aria-label="Page 1" data-loaded="true" data-listening-for-double-click="true"> <div class="textLayer"><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">The Juno mission in 2016 revealed that Jupiter&#8217;s polar regions contain a set&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">of vortices cohabiting in tightly-packed crystal formations. These crystals were</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">noted for their remarkable stability, even withstanding the intrusion of a stray&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">cyclone drifting into the arrangement. Wind and infrared measurements of these&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">vortices give estimates of their radial extent and velocity profiles, indicating&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">these vortices are surrounded by an annulus of opposing potential vorticity (pv),&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">commonly referred to as a shield.</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">However, the underlying mechanisms that lead to the development and main</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">tenance of vortex shielding on planetary vortices are generally poorly under-</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">stood.</span> <span dir="ltr" role="presentation">For example, the sensitivities of the shielding process to planetary pa</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">rameters, such as deformation radius, are largely unexplored.</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">Recent work has shown that, in a shallow water framework, these shields&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">are pertinent to the crystal stability. Particularly, recent modelling efforts have</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">placed strict bounds for this shielding in terms of magnitude. Although much&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">work has been devoted to this topic, there are still significant questions remain</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">ing and large gaps in our understanding of these polar vortex crystals.</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">Here we present a preliminary exploration of the parameter space, using a&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">quasi-geostrophic beta plane model to simulate the drift of Gaussian pv pulses</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">in Jupiter-like conditions.</span> <span dir="ltr" role="presentation">These initial results indicate that vortex shielding&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">may have a strong dependence on the deformation radius and the background&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">pv gradient, suggesting a strong dependence on latitude.</span> <span dir="ltr" role="presentation">These preliminary&#160;</span><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">results will form the basis of our work modelling Jovian polar crystal formation</span><br role="presentation" /><span dir="ltr" role="presentation">and vortex shield development in more detailed atmospheric settings.</span></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="pdfjs-controls"> <div class="btn-group">&#160;</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ui-layout-resizer-controls synctex-controls">&#160;</div> <p>&#160;</p>