Journal Article

The Polar Stratosphere of Jupiter

Stallard, T. S., Grodent, D. C., Greathouse, T. K., Benmahi, B., Giles, R. S., Hueso, R., Nixon, C. A., Rodríguez-Ovalle, P., Zhang, X., Dobrijevic, M., Hue, V., Cavalié, T., Mousis, O., Fouchet, T., Sinclair, J. A., Johnson, R. E.

2024

Overview

Observations of the Jovian upper atmosphere at high latitudes in the UV, IR and mm/sub-mm all indicate that the chemical distributions and thermal structure are broadly influenced by auroral particle precipitations. Mid-IR and UV observations have shown that several light hydrocarbons (up to 6 carbon atoms) have altered abundances near Jupiter’s main auroral ovals. Ion-neutral reactions influence the hydrocarbon chemistry, with light hydrocarbons produced in the upper stratosphere, and heavier hydrocarbons as well as aerosols produced in the lower stratosphere. One consequence of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is the existence of ionospheric jets that propagate into the neutral middle stratosphere, likely acting as a dynamical barrier to the aurora-produced species. As the ionospheric jets and the background atmosphere do not co-rotate at the same rate, this creates a complex system where chemistry and dynamics are intertwined. The ion-neutral reactions produce species with a spatial distribution following the SIII longitude system in the upper stratosphere. As these species sediment down to the lower stratosphere, and because of the progressive dynamical decoupling between the ionospheric flows and the background atmosphere, the spatial distribution of the auroral-related species progressively follows a zonal distribution with increasing pressures that ultimately produces a system of polar and subpolar hazes that extends down to the bottom of the stratosphere. This paper reviews the most recent work addressing different aspects of this environment.

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands,Springer Nature B.V,Springer Verlag,Springer Science and Business Media B.V
• Subject: Aerospace Technology and Astronautics / Astronomy and Astrophysics / Astrophysics and Astroparticles / Atmosphere / Auroral particle precipitations / Auroras / Aérospatiale, astronomie & astrophysique / Carbon atoms / Chemical distributions / Complex systems / Decoupling / High Latitudes / Hydrocarbons / Ion/neutral reactions / Ionosphere / Jupiter / Jupiter atmosphere / Jupiters / Light hydrocarbon / Lower stratosphere / Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling / Middle stratosphere / Physical, chemical, mathematical & earth Sciences / Physics / Physics and Astronomy / Physique, chimie, mathématiques & sciences de la terre / Planetary magnetospheres / Planetology / Polar stratosphere / Sciences of the Universe / Space and Planetary Science / Space Exploration and Astronautics / Space science, astronomy & astrophysics / Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics / Spatial distribution / Stratosphere / Thermal structure / Upper atmosphere / Upper stratosphere / Zonal distribution