DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000317117
论文题名: Deep rotating convection generates the polar hexagon on Saturn
作者: Yadav R.K. ; Bloxham J.
刊名: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
ISSN: 0027-8424
出版年: 2020
卷: 117, 期: 25 起始页码: 13991
结束页码: 13996
语种: 英语
英文关键词: Planetary atmospheres
; Rotating convection
; Turbulence
Scopus关键词: article
; astronomy
; atmosphere
; hurricane
; latitude
; simulation
; thermodynamics
英文摘要: Numerous land- and space-based observations have established that Saturn has a persistent hexagonal flow pattern near its north pole. While observations abound, the physics behind its formation is still uncertain. Although several phenomenological models have been able to reproduce this feature, a self-consistent model for how such a large-scale polygonal jet forms in the highly turbulent atmosphere of Saturn is lacking. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D) fully nonlinear anelastic simulation of deep thermal convection in the outer layers of gas giant planets that spontaneously generates giant polar cyclones, fierce alternating zonal flows, and a high-latitude eastward jet with a polygonal pattern. The analysis of the simulation suggests that self-organized turbulence in the form of giant vortices pinches the eastward jet, forming polygonal shapes. We argue that a similar mechanism is responsible for exciting Saturn's hexagonal flow pattern. © 2020 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/163454
Appears in Collections: 气候变化与战略
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作者单位: Yadav, R.K., Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States; Bloxham, J., Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
Recommended Citation:
Yadav R.K.,Bloxham J.. Deep rotating convection generates the polar hexagon on Saturn[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,2020-01-01,117(25)