WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE THE LARGE-SCALE DYNAMICS AND TRACER TRANSPORT IN JUPITER S TROPOSPHERE TO EXPLAIN RECENT OBSERVATIONS OF AMMONIA (NH3) FROM JUNO AND HEAVIER TRACERS ASH3 AND GEH4 FROM GROUND-BASED TELESCOPES. THE JUNO MISSION RECENTLY MEASURED THE AMMONIA DISTRIBUTION IN JUPITER S TROPOSPHERE FROM 1 BAR TO A FEW HUNDRED BARS FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE RETRIEVED AMMONIA DISTRIBUTION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST MYSTERIES DISCOVERED BY JUNO. IN ADDITION TO AMMONIA LATITUDINAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF HEAVY TRACERS ASH3 AND GEH4 ARE ALSO MEASURED FOR THE FIRST TIME FROM GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS. THESE MEASUREMENTS REVEAL A STRONG DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE OBSERVATIONS AND PREVIOUS THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS. THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF NH3 ASH3 AND GEH4 SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE OF 3D DYNAMICAL TRANSPORT ON JUPITER S TROPOSPHERIC TRACERS. HERE WE PROPOSE AN INNOVATIVE NON-HYDROSTATIC 3D GENERAL CIRCULATION MODEL (GCM) WITH MOIST CONVECTION WATER AND AMMONIA CLOUD FORMATION AND SIMPLIFIED TRACER CHEMISTRY IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THE OBSERVED SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF NH3 ASH3 AND GEH4. WITH OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS AND OUR GCM FRAMEWORK WE WILL ACHIEVE A NEW PARADIGM FOR UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN JUPITER S TROPOSPHERE. THIS PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY GREATLY ENHANCE THE SCIENTIFIC RETURN OF NASA JUNO MISSIONS THROUGH A THEORETICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE SPACECRAFT DATA IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE THE FIRST 3D SPATIAL DISTRIBUTIONS OF DISEQUILIBRIUM TRACERS INCLUDING NH3 H2O ASH3 AND GEH4 IN JUPITER S TROPOSPHERE AND IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF JUPITER S ELEMENTAL COMPOSITIONS THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO CONSTRAIN PLANETARY FORMATION AND EVOLUTION IN THE EARLY SOLAR SYSTEM
$135,000FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA
University Of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA