First-order phase transition and high energy cyclonic spots in a shallow water model on a rapidly rotating sphere

Abstract

A statistical equilibrium theory based on the Lagrangian of the rotating shallow water equations is presented with applications to cooperative properties of large-scale features in the Jovian atmosphere when the flows have pronounced hemispherical asymmetry. Large planetary spin is shown to play a significant role in the orientation asymmetry or energy gap between cyclonic and anticyclonic vorticity distributions. This suggests that angular momentum is the key physical factor behind the statistical preference for a cyclonic vorticity distribution at high levels of flow energy. Simulation results reported here show that for a range of high energy-to-enstrophy ratios at Jupiter’s parameters, a broad-based cyclonic vortex forms in one of the hemisphere with few other coherent spots. Evidence that this cooperative phenomenon arise from a first-order phase transition is discussed.