Using a two-level global primitive equation model, we study the formation of organized zonal jets and equatorial super-rotation in planetary atmospheres. The parameters are chosen to best model the atmosphere of Jupiter.
The model is forced towards a baroclinically unstable flow, so that eddies are generated by baroclinic instability, as in Panetta (JAS, vol 50, no, 14, pp.2073-2106, 1993). We consider several types of forcing, acting on either the temperature or the momentum field.
We show that, under certain parametric conditions, zonally elongated structures form and persist, in accordance with the Rhines' mechanism. We examine how several parameters in the model affect the formation and robustness of the zonal bands.
We also study the effect of an equatorial heat source, meant to be a crude representation of the effect of the deep convective planetary interior onto the outer atmospheric layer. We show that such heat forcing is able to produce strong equatorially super-rotating winds, one of the most striking feature of the Jovian circulation.
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12th Conference on Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics