The Great Cold Spot in Jupiter's upper atmosphere

Tom S. Stallard; Henrik Melin; Steve Miller; Luke Moore; James O'Donoghue; John E.P. Connerney; Takehiko Satoh; Robert A. West; Jeffrey P. Thayer; Vicki W. Hsu; Rosie E. Johnson

doi:10.1002/2016GL071956

The Great Cold Spot in Jupiter's upper atmosphere

Tom S. Stallard^*, Henrik Melin, Steve Miller, Luke Moore, James O'Donoghue, John E.P. Connerney, Takehiko Satoh, Robert A. West, Jeffrey P. Thayer, Vicki W. Hsu, Rosie E. Johnson

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Past observations and modeling of Jupiter's thermosphere have, due to their limited resolution, suggested that heat generated by the aurora near the poles results in a smooth thermal gradient away from these aurorae, indicating a quiescent and diffuse flow of energy within the subauroral thermosphere. Here we discuss Very Large Telescope-Cryogenic High-Resolution IR Echelle Spectrometer observations that reveal a small-scale localized cooling of ~200 K within the nonauroral thermosphere. Using Infrared Telescope Facility NSFCam images, this feature is revealed to be quasi-stable over at least a 15 year period, fixed in magnetic latitude and longitude. The size and shape of this “Great Cold Spot” vary significantly with time, strongly suggesting that it is produced by an aurorally generated weather system: the first direct evidence of a long-term thermospheric vortex in the solar system. We discuss the implications of this spot, comparing it with short-term temperature and density variations at Earth.

Iaith wreiddiol	Saesneg
Tudalennau (o-i)	3000-3008
Nifer y tudalennau	9
Cyfnodolyn	Geophysical Research Letters
Cyfrol	44
Rhif cyhoeddi	7
Dyddiad ar-lein cynnar	10 Ebr 2017
Dynodwyr Gwrthrych Digidol (DOIs)	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071956
Statws	Cyhoeddwyd - 16 Ebr 2017
Cyhoeddwyd yn allanol	Ie

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10.1002/2016GL071956Trwydded: CC BY

ArticleFersiwn derfynol wedi’i chyhoeddi, 898 KBTrwydded: CC BY
Supporting InformationFersiwn derfynol wedi’i chyhoeddi, 730 KBTrwydded: CC BY
Supporting TableFersiwn derfynol wedi’i chyhoeddi, 19.6 KBTrwydded: CC BY

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title = "The Great Cold Spot in Jupiter's upper atmosphere",

abstract = "Past observations and modeling of Jupiter's thermosphere have, due to their limited resolution, suggested that heat generated by the aurora near the poles results in a smooth thermal gradient away from these aurorae, indicating a quiescent and diffuse flow of energy within the subauroral thermosphere. Here we discuss Very Large Telescope-Cryogenic High-Resolution IR Echelle Spectrometer observations that reveal a small-scale localized cooling of ~200 K within the nonauroral thermosphere. Using Infrared Telescope Facility NSFCam images, this feature is revealed to be quasi-stable over at least a 15 year period, fixed in magnetic latitude and longitude. The size and shape of this “Great Cold Spot” vary significantly with time, strongly suggesting that it is produced by an aurorally generated weather system: the first direct evidence of a long-term thermospheric vortex in the solar system. We discuss the implications of this spot, comparing it with short-term temperature and density variations at Earth.",

keywords = "Jupiter, aurora, infrared, ionosphere, thermosphere, vortex",

author = "Stallard, {Tom S.} and Henrik Melin and Steve Miller and Luke Moore and James O'Donoghue and Connerney, {John E.P.} and Takehiko Satoh and West, {Robert A.} and Thayer, {Jeffrey P.} and Hsu, {Vicki W.} and Johnson, {Rosie E.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the UK STFC for H.M. and T.S., and R.J. This analysis followed discussions within the ISSI Team Stallard workshops. This work was based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO program 090.C-0353(A). J.E.P. Connerney and T. Satoh were visiting astronomers at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawai'i under cooperative agreement no. NNX-08AE38A with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Astronomy Program. Infrared images from 1995 to 2000 are available from the Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets Infrared Data Archive. VLT spectral data are available from the ESO Science Archive Facility. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}2017. The Authors.",

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doi = "10.1002/2016GL071956",

language = "English",

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AU - Stallard, Tom S.

AU - Melin, Henrik

AU - Miller, Steve

AU - Moore, Luke

AU - O'Donoghue, James

AU - Connerney, John E.P.

AU - Satoh, Takehiko

AU - West, Robert A.

AU - Thayer, Jeffrey P.

AU - Hsu, Vicki W.

AU - Johnson, Rosie E.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the UK STFC for H.M. and T.S., and R.J. This analysis followed discussions within the ISSI Team Stallard workshops. This work was based on observations collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere under ESO program 090.C-0353(A). J.E.P. Connerney and T. Satoh were visiting astronomers at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, which is operated by the University of Hawai'i under cooperative agreement no. NNX-08AE38A with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Astronomy Program. Infrared images from 1995 to 2000 are available from the Magnetospheres of the Outer Planets Infrared Data Archive. VLT spectral data are available from the ESO Science Archive Facility. Publisher Copyright: ©2017. The Authors.

PY - 2017/4/16

Y1 - 2017/4/16

N2 - Past observations and modeling of Jupiter's thermosphere have, due to their limited resolution, suggested that heat generated by the aurora near the poles results in a smooth thermal gradient away from these aurorae, indicating a quiescent and diffuse flow of energy within the subauroral thermosphere. Here we discuss Very Large Telescope-Cryogenic High-Resolution IR Echelle Spectrometer observations that reveal a small-scale localized cooling of ~200 K within the nonauroral thermosphere. Using Infrared Telescope Facility NSFCam images, this feature is revealed to be quasi-stable over at least a 15 year period, fixed in magnetic latitude and longitude. The size and shape of this “Great Cold Spot” vary significantly with time, strongly suggesting that it is produced by an aurorally generated weather system: the first direct evidence of a long-term thermospheric vortex in the solar system. We discuss the implications of this spot, comparing it with short-term temperature and density variations at Earth.

AB - Past observations and modeling of Jupiter's thermosphere have, due to their limited resolution, suggested that heat generated by the aurora near the poles results in a smooth thermal gradient away from these aurorae, indicating a quiescent and diffuse flow of energy within the subauroral thermosphere. Here we discuss Very Large Telescope-Cryogenic High-Resolution IR Echelle Spectrometer observations that reveal a small-scale localized cooling of ~200 K within the nonauroral thermosphere. Using Infrared Telescope Facility NSFCam images, this feature is revealed to be quasi-stable over at least a 15 year period, fixed in magnetic latitude and longitude. The size and shape of this “Great Cold Spot” vary significantly with time, strongly suggesting that it is produced by an aurorally generated weather system: the first direct evidence of a long-term thermospheric vortex in the solar system. We discuss the implications of this spot, comparing it with short-term temperature and density variations at Earth.

KW - Jupiter

KW - aurora

KW - infrared

KW - ionosphere

KW - thermosphere

KW - vortex

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U2 - 10.1002/2016GL071956

DO - 10.1002/2016GL071956

M3 - Article

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 44

SP - 3000

EP - 3008

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 7

ER -

The Great Cold Spot in Jupiter's upper atmosphere

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