Vertical structure of the volume scattering coefficient of aerosol in latitude belts of Jupiter’s disk

Abstract

Pressure dependences of the volume scattering coefficient of aerosol in the atmosphere of Jupiter σ a (P) are presented. In calculations carried out with separating the gaseous and aerosol absorption, the absorption of light in the continuous spectrum was taken into account. In the analysis, the spectrophotometric data of Jupiter for the absorption bands of methane at 727 and 619 nm—the geometric albedo (measured in 1993) and the reflectivity of some latitudinal details (measured in 2013)—were used. At high tropospheric levels, in the pressure range from 0.4 to 2 bar, the dependences σ a (P) for the integral disk and latitude belts of the giant planet turned out to be similar. In this part of the atmosphere, the three thickest cloud layers were found; in these layers, within the pressure range from 0.8 to 1.33 bar in the North and South Temperature Belts (NTB and STB), respectively, the values of the coefficient σ a (P) are maximum. In the pressure interval from 2 to 4 bar, in the analyzed latitude belts except the NTB and STB, the forth aerosol layer was found; its altitude position and vertical structure substantially differ from belt to belt. One more aerosol layer probably exists deeper in the atmosphere; its initial level and extension differ in different latitude belts. Most of the investigated latitude belts exhibit the spectral dependence of σ a (P) at the atmospheric levels, where the pressure exceeds 3 bar. This probably points to the change in size or nature of aerosol particles.