Three-dimensional modeling of hot jupiter atmospheric flows

Abstract

We present a three-dimensional hot Jupiter model, extending from 200 bar to 1 mbar, using the Intermediate General Circulation Model from the University of Reading. Our horizontal spectral resolution is T31 (equivalent to a grid of 48 × 96), with 33 logarithmically spaced vertical levels. A simplified (Newtonian) scheme is employed for the radiative forcing. We adopt a physical setup nearly identical to the model of HD 209458b by Cooper & Showman to facilitate a direct model inter-comparison. Our results are broadly consistent with theirs but significant differences also emerge. The atmospheric flow is characterized by a super-rotating equatorial jet, transonic wind speeds, and eastward advection of heat away from the dayside. We identify a dynamically induced temperature inversion ("stratosphere") on the planetary dayside and find that temperatures at the planetary limb differ systematically from local radiative equilibrium values, a potential source of bias for transit spectroscopic interpretations. While our model atmosphere is quasi-identical to that of Cooper & Showman and we solve the same meteorological equations, we use different algorithmic methods, spectral-implicit versus grid-explicit, which are known to yield fully consistent results in the Earth modeling context. The model discrepancies identified here indicate that one or both numerical methods do not faithfully capture all of the atmospheric dynamics at work in the hot Jupiter context. We highlight the emergence of a shock-like feature in our model, much like that reported recently by Showman etal., and suggest that improved representations of energy conservation may be needed in hot Jupiter atmospheric models, as emphasized by Goodman. © 2010 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.