1. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2J1, Canada
2. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA
3. Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

Correspondence to: Moritz Heimpel¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to M.H. (Email: mheimpel@phys.ualberta.ca).

Abstract

The bands of Jupiter represent a global system of powerful winds. Broad eastward equatorial jets are flanked by smaller-scale, higher-latitude jets flowing in alternating directions^{1, 2}. Jupiter's large thermal emission suggests that the winds are powered from within^{3, 4}, but the zonal flow depth is limited by increasing density and electrical conductivity in the molecular hydrogen–helium atmosphere towards the centre of the planet⁵. Two types of planetary flow models have been explored: shallow-layer models reproduce multiple high-latitude jets, but not the equatorial flow system^{6, 7, 8}, and deep convection models only reproduce an eastward equatorial jet with two flanking neighbours^{9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14}. Here we present a numerical model of three-dimensional rotating convection in a relatively thin spherical shell that generates both types of jets. The simulated flow is turbulent and quasi-two-dimensional and, as observed for the jovian jets, simulated jet widths follow Rhines' scaling theory^{2, 12, 13, 15}. Our findings imply that Jupiter's latitudinal transition in jet width corresponds to a separation between the bottom-bounded flow structures in higher latitudes and the deep equatorial flows.

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