Convectively generated zonal jets by thunderstorms on Jupiter
Xi (Arthur) Zhang, Caltech
Advisor: Adam Showman,
U. Arizona
Abstract: A forced-dissipative shallow water model is adopted to simulate the jet streams, especially the equatorial
ow, on Jupiter. Two types of forcing, the local mass pulse and vorticity pulse, are used to parameterize the small scale moist convection such as thunderstorms, respectively. In the mass-forced dissipative model without the frictional drag,
it is unable to produce a prograde
ow at equator. The reason could be that the anticyclonic features are favored by the off-equator positive mass forcing. In the simulations
with the vorticity-type forcing, equatorial superrotation could be produced under some
condition, although the physical mechanism is not fully understood..
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