Medical and Hospital News
OUTER PLANETS
A New Model of Water in Jupiter's Atmosphere
illustration only
A New Model of Water in Jupiter's Atmosphere
by Lori Dajose for Caltech News
Pasadena CA (SPX) Oct 01, 2025

Caltech researchers have developed a new simulation of the hydrological cycle on Jupiter, modeling how water vapor condenses into clouds and falls as rain throughout the giant planet's swirled, turbulent atmosphere. The research shows that Jupiter's water is not uniformly distributed, giving missions like NASA's Juno orbiter important guidance about where to look for water on the planet.

Jupiter was considered the first planet in our solar system to form, and its massive gravitational influence shaped the orbital architecture of Earth and the other planets in the solar system. Understanding how much water Jupiter has, and where to look for it, gives clues to how water arrived on Earth, which is still an open question in planetary science.

The research is described in a paper appearing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on September 29. The study's first author is Huazhi Ge, a postdoctoral scholar in the group of Andrew P. Ingersoll, professor of planetary science, emeritus.

"While we are focusing on Jupiter, ultimately we are trying to create a theory about water and atmospheric dynamics that can broadly be applied to other planets, including exoplanets," Ge says.

Jupiter's swirled appearance results from its atmospheric dynamics, which, while visually striking, make it difficult to determine the abundances of chemical species such as water and metals. The Galileo mission first detected water on Jupiter near its equator in the 1990s, but it remained uncertain if that water was distributed evenly across the giant planet. The new model accounts for Jupiter's rapid rotation-one full rotation, or one day, on Jupiter takes only about 10 Earth hours. This fast rotation causes the turbulent stripes visible on Jupiter's atmosphere. The new model suggests that this turbulence in the subtropic and mid-latitudes leads to rain that draws water deeper beneath the cloud layer, making the planet's lower atmosphere more humid tens of kilometers beneath the clouds.

Jupiter is different from Earth in many ways, so modeling its atmospheric dynamics-and then comparing those models with observations-leads to a better understanding of a diverse range of planets more broadly. Next, the team plans to create a more global model, expanding past the mid-latitudes. Ideally, the theory can be applied to other gas giants like Uranus and Neptune that also have nonuniform distributions of chemical species like methane rather than water.

Research Report:Non-Uniform Water Distribution in Jupiter's Mid-Latitudes: Influence of Precipitation and Planetary Rotation

Related Links
Caltech
The million outer planets of a star called Sol

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
OUTER PLANETS
Fresh twist to mystery of Jupiter's core
London, UK (SPX) Aug 22, 2025
The mystery at Jupiter's heart has taken a fresh twist - as new research suggests a giant impact may not have been responsible for the formation of its core. It had been thought that a colossal collision with an early planet containing half of Jupiter's core material could have mixed up the central region of the gas giant, enough to explain its interior today. But a new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests its make-up is ... read more

OUTER PLANETS
Hong Kong's coastal businesses pick up pieces after typhoon

NATO drone competition highlightes use of autonomous technology in disaster relief

In India's Mumbai, the largest slum in Asia is for sale

Planetary health check warns risk of 'destabilising' Earth systems

OUTER PLANETS
Russia blamed for GPS attack on Spanish defence minister's plane

SATNUS completes third NGWS flight campaign with autonomous systems integration

EU chief's plane hit by suspected Russian GPS jamming in Bulgaria

PLD Space wins ESA contract to build hybrid rocket navigation system

OUTER PLANETS
Morocco High Atlas whistle language strives for survival

Oldest practice of smoke-dried mummification traced to Asia Pacific hunter gatherers

AI helps UK woman rediscover lost voice after 25 years

New Ethiopian fossil find reveals unknown Australopithecus species alongside early Homo

OUTER PLANETS
Framework proposed to study planetary scale impact of life

Wolf attack in Greece prompts calls for hunting rights

Europe must step up efforts to protect environment: report

Tails of the city: Paris rats find unlikely political ally

OUTER PLANETS
Scientists sequence avian flu genome found in Antarctica

New York declares total war on prolific rat population

Chikungunya in China: What you need to know

China probes Wuhan ex-mayor who presided over Covid response

OUTER PLANETS
Singapore denies entry to HK activist, citing 'national interests'

Hong Kong LGBTQ rights setback takes emotional toll

Hong Kong legislature to vote on same-sex partnerships bill

China's Xi at centre of world stage after days of high-level hobnobbing

OUTER PLANETS
Pentagon chief makes surprise visit to Puerto Rico

Hegseth, top general visit Puerto Rico amid Trump drug cartel fight

US strike 'very clear' message to drug cartels: Pentagon chief

Trump says 11 dead in US strike on drug-carrying boat from Venezuela

OUTER PLANETS
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.