Wind speeds measured in the deep jovian atmosphere by the Galileo probe accelerometers

A. Seiff (), R. C. Blanchard, T. C. D. Knight, G. Schubert, D. B. Kirk, D. Atkinson, J. D. Mihalov and R. E. Young
Additional contact information
A. Seiff: NASA-Ames Research Centre
R. C. Blanchard: NASA Langley Field
T. C. D. Knight: Retired
G. Schubert: Space Science
D. B. Kirk: Retired
D. Atkinson: University of Idaho
J. D. Mihalov: NASA-Ames Research Centre
R. E. Young: NASA-Ames Research Centre

Nature, 1997, vol. 388, issue 6643, 650-652

Abstract: Abstract The atmosphere of Jupiter has a complex circulation which, until recently, has been observable only at the cloud tops1,2; the mechanisms driving the winds, and the nature of the interior circulation, remained unknown3. Recent analyses4,5,6 of the radio signal from the Galileo probe, obtained during its descent into the jovian atmosphere, have suggested a vigorous interior circulation below the 4-bar level. Here we report an independent measurement of the winds below the cloud tops, making use of the data obtained by the two accelerometers on the descending probe. We find evidence for two distinct wind regimes, in general agreement with the Doppler radio measurements: a region of wind shear between 1 and 4 bar, where the wind speed increases dramatically with depth; and then a region of constant high-velocity winds down to at least the 17-bar level.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/41721

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