Saturn's Great White Spots.

Abstract

The term, Great White Spot, is used for large and unusual atmospheric disturbances on the planet Saturn. The phenomenology has been recorded only in five occasions during the last century, and its evolution can be described in terms of four different phases: (i) Onset (first week), outburst and rapid growth of a very bright cloud up to a size of approximately 20 000 km; (ii) planetary disturbance (<one month), zonal expansion of the bright cloud elements according to the local wind velocities, whereas the main initial spot remains detached from this latitude band of white clouds; (iii) mature stage (two to three months), attained when the zonal expansion has fully encircled the latitude band. The white band of clouds has a turbulent texture and wavy structures develop along the periphery. The storm nucleus still survives and new outbreaks of smaller-scale bright spots take place at distant longitudes from it; and (iv) evolved and decay stage ( greater, similar one to three years), dissipation of the storm nucleus and gradual homogenization of the cloud banding, but with transient localized brightenings. Afterward there are changes in the location and reflectivity of the belts within the active band. Of the five events classified as GWS, three appeared in the equator, one in temperate latitudes (36 degrees N) and the fifth in the subpolar region (60 degrees N), with an average periodicity of 28.5+/-0.4 yr. This interval is close to the Saturnian year of 29.46 yr, so the outbursts could be linked to the seasonal insolation cycle. We propose that the initial spot could be driven by moist convection from the lower water clouds, whereas the planetary disturbance is the result of a wave dynamical instability, as indicated by cloud morphology and wind measurements.