Spontaneous Generated Convective Anticyclones in Low Latitude --- A Model for the Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot at about latitude 22oS of Jupiter has been observed for hundreds of years, yet the driving mechanism on the formation of this giant anticyclone still remains unclear. Two scenarios were proposed to explain its formation. One is a shallow model suggesting that it might be a weather feature formed through a merging process of small shallow storms generated by moist convection, while the other is a deep model suggesting that it might be a deeply rooted anticyclone powered by the internal heat of Jupiter. In this work, we present numerical simulations showing that the Great Red Spot could be naturally generated in a deep rotating turbulent flow and survive for a long time, when the convective Rossby number is smaller than a certain critical value. From this critical value, we predict that the Great Red Spot extends at least about 500 kilometers deep into the Jovian atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that the Great Red Spot is likely to be a feature deep-seated in the Jovian atmosphere.

Spontaneous Generated Convective Anticyclones in Low Latitude --- A Model for the Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot at about latitude 22oS of Jupiter has been observed for hundreds of years, yet the driving mechanism on the formation of this giant anticyclone still remains unclear. Two scenarios were proposed to explain its formation. One is a shallow model suggesting that it might be a weather feature formed through a merging process of small shallow storms generated by moist convection, while the other is a deep model suggesting that it might be a deeply rooted anticyclone powered by the internal heat of Jupiter. In this work, we present numerical simulations showing that the Great Red Spot could be naturally generated in a deep rotating turbulent flow and survive for a long time, when the convective Rossby number is smaller than a certain critical value. From this critical value, we predict that the Great Red Spot extends at least about 500 kilometers deep into the Jovian atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that the Great Red Spot is likely to be a feature deep-seated in the Jovian atmosphere.

Spontaneous Generated Convective Anticyclones in Low Latitude --- A Model for the Great Red Spot

The Great Red Spot at about latitude 22oS of Jupiter has been observed for hundreds of years, yet the driving mechanism on the formation of this giant anticyclone still remains unclear. Two scenarios were proposed to explain its formation. One is a shallow model suggesting that it might be a weather feature formed through a merging process of small shallow storms generated by moist convection, while the other is a deep model suggesting that it might be a deeply rooted anticyclone powered by the internal heat of Jupiter. In this work, we present numerical simulations showing that the Great Red Spot could be naturally generated in a deep rotating turbulent flow and survive for a long time, when the convective Rossby number is smaller than a certain critical value. From this critical value, we predict that the Great Red Spot extends at least about 500 kilometers deep into the Jovian atmosphere. Our results demonstrate that the Great Red Spot is likely to be a feature deep-seated in the Jovian atmosphere.

Cascade processes in rapidly rotating turbulence

The process of the kinetic energy and kinetic helicity transfer over the spectrum in an incompressible, rapidly rotating turbulent flow is considered. An analogue of the Fjortoft theorem for 3D rapidly rotating turbulence is proposed. It is shown that, similar to 2D turbulence, there are two cascades simultaneously: the inverse cascade of the kinetic energy and the direct cascade of the kinetic helicity, which in the case of 2D turbulence corresponds to the cascade of enstrophy. The proposed scenario is in agreement with our earlier calculations, some recent numerical simulations, and physical experiment on rotating turbulence.