Deep Interior Coupling May Shape Jupiter and Saturn’s Polar Storms
MIT researchers show that Jupiter’s multiple polar vortices and Saturn’s single polar storm stem from how strongly storms are coupled to deeper interior layers. A 2D fluid-dynamics model suggests Jupiter’s weaker layering and stronger atmospheric forcing keep many discrete storms from merging, while Saturn’s deeper layering and greater energy loss allow vortices to merge into one giant storm. These surface patterns may encode information about each planet’s interior properties and formation history.
