Emergence of intense jets and Jupiter Great Red Spot as maximum entropy structures

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dc.creatorBouchet, F.
dc.creatorSommeria, J.
dc.date2000-03-27
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T05:43:55Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T05:43:55Z
dc.descriptionWe explain the emergence and robustness of intense jets in highly turbulent planetary atmospheres, like on Jupiter, by a general approach of statistical mechanics of potential vorticity patches. The idea is that potential vorticity mixing leads to the formation of a steady organized coarse grained flow, corresponding to the statistical equilibrium state. Our starting point is the quasi-geostrophic 1-1/2 layer model, and we consider the relevant limit of a small Rossby radius of deformation. Then narrow jets are obtained, scaling like the Rossby radius of deformation. These jets can be either zonal, or closed into a ring bounding a vortex. Taking into account the effect of the beta effect and a sublayer deep shear flow, we predict an organization of the turbulent atmospheric layer into an oval-shaped vortex amidst a background shear. Such an isolated vortex is centered over an extremum of the equivalent topography (determined by the deep shear flow and beta-effect). This prediction is in agreement with analysis of wind data in major Jovian vortices (Great Red Spot and Oval BC).
dc.description56 pages, 19 figures
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0003079
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0003079
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/83441
dc.subjectFluid Dynamics
dc.subjectStatistical Mechanics
dc.subjectAtmospheric and Oceanic Physics
dc.titleEmergence of intense jets and Jupiter Great Red Spot as maximum entropy structures
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