New Observations and Modeling of Jupiter's Quasi‐Quadrennial Oscillation. Issue 12 (18th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cosentino, Richard G.; Morales‐Juberías, Raúl; Greathouse, Thomas; Orton, Glenn; Johnson, Perianne; Fletcher, Leigh N.; Simon, Amy
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 122:Issue 12(2017)
• Page Start: 2719
• Page End: 2744
• Publication Date: 2017-12-18
• Subjects: Jupiter atmosphere -- quasi‐quadrennial oscillation -- gravity wave drag -- parameterization -- general circulation model -- infrared observations; Planets -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 559.9
• DOI: 10.1002/2017JE005342
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-9097

Abstract

Abstract: The quasi‐quadrennial oscillation (QQO) and its ∼4 year period in Jupiter's atmosphere were first discovered in 7.8 μm infrared observations spanning the 1980s and 1990s from detecting semiregular variations in equatorial brightness temperatures near 10 hPa. New observations that probe between 0.1 and 30 hPa in Jupiter's atmosphere using the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES), mounted on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, have characterized the vertical structure of the QQO during a complete cycle between January 2012 and April 2016. These new observations show the thermal oscillation previously detected at 10 hPa and that it extends over a pressure range of 2–17 hPa. We have incorporated a spectrum of wave drag parameterizations into the Explicit Planetary Isentropic Code general circulation model to simulate the observed Jovian QQO temperature signatures inferred from the TEXES observations as a function of latitude. A new stochastic wave drag parameterization explores vertical wind structure and offers insight into the spectra of waves that likely exist in Jupiter's atmosphere to force the QQO. High‐frequency gravity waves produced from convection likely contribute significantly to the QQO momentum budget. The model temperature outputs show strong correlations to equatorial and surrounding latitude temperature fields retrieved from the TEXES data sets at different epochs. Our results reproduce the QQO phenomenon as a zonal jet that descends over time in response to Jovian atmospheric forcing (e.g., gravity waves from convection). Plain Language Summary: Observations of Jupiter from telescopes in Hawaii have tracked changes in the temperatures of the atmosphere at the equator, showing a rise and fall every 4 years. There is a similar jet stream in Earth's equatorial atmosphere that is powered by thunderstorms and changes direction approximately every two at altitudes above the clouds, with corresponding changes in the air temperature. The direction of this jet stream has been linked to several large‐scale weather patterns like hurricane formation and atmospheric ozone levels. We developed a computer model that simulates tropical thunderstorms on Jupiter to reproduce this jet stream and its changes in direction. Not only could we match the behavior of the temperatures over time but also could we see the model's spatial structure look very much like Jupiter's observed horizontal and vertical temperatures. Key Points: New temporally resolved infrared observations of the quasi‐quadrennial oscillation reveal its 2‐D temperature structure and dynamic nature A convective stochastic gravity wave drag model based on Earth GCM research simulates the QQO in the EPIC GCM The model reproduces several observed QQO properties including thermal structure and evolution