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Evidence for Tilted Columnar Cells Driving Jupiter's Equatorial Jets

Year: 2026

Type: conference-abstract

Abstract: In rapidly rotating planets, convection driven by residual heat from planetary formation is predicted to organize into columnar circulations aligned with the rotation axis. Such motions have long been proposed to play a central role in giant-planet dynamics, including the maintenance of Jupiter's equatorial superrotation and adjacent westward jets, but their expected depth makes them difficult to observe directly. We analyze microwave brightness-temperature measurements from the Juno Microwave Radiometer (MWR), using multiple channels that probe atmospheric layers down to approximately 100 bar in Jupiter's equatorial region. The data reveal coherent hemispheric asymmetries and characteristic spatial scales consistent with expectations from rapidly rotating deep convection. Comparisons with deep convection simulations reproduce similar signatures and support the interpretation. Cross-depth correlations further suggest axially extended, tilted convective structures. Together, these results provide observational constraints on the geometry and spacing of Jupiter's deep convective motions and their connection to the planet's large-scale atmospheric circulation.

DOI: 10.5194/epsc2026-651

Authors: Nimrod Gavriel, Keren Duer-Milner, Eli Galanti, Fabiano A. Oyafuso, Cheng Li, Steven M. Levin, Scott J. Bolton, Yohai Kaspi

Institutions: Weizmann Institute of Science, University of California, Berkeley, Leiden University, Leiden Observatory, Space Research Organisation Netherlands, California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Michigan, Southwest Research Institute

Topic: Astro and Planetary Science

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

OpenAlex ID: W7167058764

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