Physics of Fluids - Publications

Toward Understanding Polar Heat Transport Enhancement in Subglacial Oceans on Icy Moons

Open Access
Geophysical Research Letters 51, e2023GL105401 (2024)

Authors

	Robert Hartmann
	Richard Stevens
	Detlef Lohse
	Roberto Verzicco

BibTeΧ

@article{https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105401,
author = {Hartmann, Robert and Stevens, Richard J. A. M. and Lohse, Detlef and Verzicco, Roberto},
title = {Toward Understanding Polar Heat Transport Enhancement in Subglacial Oceans on Icy Moons},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
volume = {51},
number = {3},
pages = {e2023GL105401},
keywords = {thermal convection, rotating flows, heat transfer, Turbulence, direct numerical simulations, Jovian, Saturnian satellites},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL105401},
url = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2023GL105401},
eprint = {https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2023GL105401},
note = {e2023GL105401 2023GL105401},
abstract = {Abstract The interior oceans of several icy moons are considered as affected by rotation. Observations suggest a larger heat transport around the poles than at the equator. Rotating Rayleigh-B√©nard convection (RRBC) in planar configuration can show an enhanced heat transport compared to the non-rotating case within this ‚Äúrotation-affected‚Äù regime. We investigate the potential for such a (polar) heat transport enhancement in these subglacial oceans by direct numerical simulations of RRBC in spherical geometry for Ra¬†=¬†106 and 0.7¬†‚â§¬†Pr¬†‚â§¬†4.38. We find an enhancement up to 28\% in the ‚Äúpolar tangent cylinder,‚Äù which is globally compensated by a reduced heat transport at low latitudes. As a result, the polar heat transport can exceed the equatorial by up to 50\%. The enhancement is mostly insensitive to different radial gravity profiles, but decreases for thinner shells. In general, polar heat transport and its enhancement in spherical RRBC follow the same principles as in planar RRBC.},
year = {2024}
}