Publication Abstracts

Allison et al. 1990

Allison, M., D.A. Godfrey, and R.F. Beebe, 1990: A wave dynamical interpretation of Saturn's polar hexagon. Science, 247, 1061-1063, doi:10.1126/science.247.4946.1061.

The hexagonal, pole-centered cloud feature in Saturn's northern atmosphere, as revealed in Voyager close-encounter imaging mosaics, may be interpreted as a stationary Rossby wave. The wave is embedded within a sharply peaked eastward jet (of 100 meters per second) and appears to be perturbed by at least one anticyclonic oval vortex immediately to the south. The effectively exact observational determination of the horizontal wave number and phase speed, applied to a simple model dispersion relation, suggests that the wave is vertically trapped and provides a diagnostic template for further modeling of the deep atmospheric stratification.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{al04100j,
  author={Allison, M. and Godfrey, D. A. and Beebe, R. F.},
  title={A wave dynamical interpretation of Saturn's polar hexagon},
  year={1990},
  journal={Science},
  volume={247},
  pages={1061--1063},
  doi={10.1126/science.247.4946.1061},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - al04100j
AU  - Allison, M.
AU  - Godfrey, D. A.
AU  - Beebe, R. F.
PY  - 1990
TI  - A wave dynamical interpretation of Saturn's polar hexagon
JA  - Science
JO  - Science
VL  - 247
SP  - 1061
EP  - 1063
DO  - 10.1126/science.247.4946.1061
ER  -

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