Simulating the jet streams and anticyclones of Jupiter and Saturn
University of Alberta
Heimpel notes that despite 350 years of observation, the origin and dynamics of planetary jet streams and vortices or planetary storms remain debated. One of the big questions we have is how deep do these structures go? says Heimpel. Our simulations imply that the jet streams plunge deep into the interior, while the storms are rather shallow. At its core, our research is curiosity-based, and our ideas are driven by observations.