Weak Jets and Strong Cyclones: Shallow-Water Modeling of Giant Planet Polar Caps

• Published in: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
• Main Authors: O'Neill, Morgan E, Emanuel, Kerry Andrew, Flierl, Glenn Richard
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Meteorological Society 2018
• Subjects: Saturn; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114571

Giant planet tropospheres lack a solid, frictional bottom boundary. The troposphere instead smoothly transitions to a denser fluid interior below. However, Saturn exhibits a hot, symmetric cyclone centered directly on each pole, bearing many similarities to terrestrial hurricanes. Transient cyclonic...