Journal article
Vertical distribution of aerosols and hazes over Jupiter's great red spot and its surroundings in 2016 from HST/WFC3 imaging
- Abstract:
- In this work, we have analyzed images provided by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) in December 2016, with a spectral coverage from the ultraviolet to the near infrared. We have obtained the spectral reflectivity of the GRS and its surroundings, with particular emphasis on selected, dynamically interesting regions. A spectral characterization of the GRS area is performed following two different procedures: (a) in terms of Altitude/Opacity and Color Indices (AOI and CI); (b) by means of automatic spectral classification. We used the NEMESIS radiative transfer suite to retrieve the main atmospheric parameters (e.g., particle vertical and size distributions, refractive indices) that are able to explain the observed spectral reflectivity. The optimal a priori model atmosphere used for the retrievals is obtained from a grid of about 12,000 different atmospheric models, and choosing the one that best fits South Tropical Zone (STrZ) spectra and its observed limb-darkening. We conclude that the spectral reflectivity of the GRS area is well reproduced with the following layout: (a) a stratospheric haze with its base near the 100 mbar level, with optical depths at 900 nm of the order of unity and particles with a size of 0.3 μm; (b) a more vertically extended tropospheric haze, with τ (900 nm) ∼10 down to 500 mbar and micron sized particles. Both haze layers show a stronger short wavelength absorption, and thus both act as chromophores. The altitude difference between clouds tops in the GRS and surrounding areas is ∼10 km.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, 3.3MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.1029/2021je006996
Authors
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Journal:
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets More from this journal
- Volume:
- 126
- Issue:
- 11
- Article number:
- e2021JE006996
- Publication date:
- 2021-10-28
- Acceptance date:
- 2021-10-13
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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2169-9100
- ISSN:
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2169-9097
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1206267
- Local pid:
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pubs:1206267
- Deposit date:
-
2021-11-23
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Anguiano-Arteaga et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2021
- Rights statement:
- ©2021. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
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