MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
In the posted answer to a previous question (http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1023118998.Es.r.html), it was suggested that 97% of the earth's energy was derived from the sun, and that this energy was primarily responsible for observed weather patterns. Gas giants like Jupiter have large, stable weather patterns that are presumably very energetic -- if I understand correctly, Jupiter's "great red spot" is a storm nearly the size of the earth -- and these planets are many AU distant from the sun. Presumably the solar energy available to power these weather patterns drops with the square of the distance to the sun, so that a planet like Jupiter, which is more than 5 AU from the Sun, should receive less than 4% of the solar energy that the Earth does. More distant planets with weather patterns (e.g., Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) should receive even less energy. Is the weather of these planets still derived from the sun, and if so is the Earth's weather correspondingly more "severe" than the weather on the more distant planets (i.e., is Jupiter's red spot actually a very feeble weather pattern when compared to a hurricane)?
Re: Does the energy for Jupiter's weather come primarily from the sun?
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