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Dynamic Europa ocean shows transient Taylor columns and convection driven by ice melting and salinity

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  • Yosef Ashkenazy

    (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion)

  • Eli Tziperman

    (Harvard University)

Abstract

The deep (~100 km) ocean of Europa, Jupiter’s moon, covered by a thick icy shell, is one of the most probable places in the solar system to find extraterrestrial life. Yet, its ocean dynamics and its interaction with the ice cover have received little attention. Previous studies suggested that Europa’s ocean is turbulent using a global model and taking into account non-hydrostatic effects and the full Coriolis force. Here we add critical elements, including consistent top and bottom heating boundary conditions and the effects of icy shell melting and freezing on ocean salinity. We find weak stratification that is dominated by salinity variations. The ocean exhibits strong transient convection, eddies, and zonal jets. Transient motions organize in Taylor columns parallel to Europa’s axis of rotation, are static inside of the tangent cylinder and propagate equatorward outside the cylinder. The meridional oceanic heat transport is intense enough to result in a nearly uniform ice thickness, that is expected to be observable in future missions.

Suggested Citation

  • Yosef Ashkenazy & Eli Tziperman, 2021. "Dynamic Europa ocean shows transient Taylor columns and convection driven by ice melting and salinity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-26710-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26710-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert H. Tyler, 2008. "Strong ocean tidal flow and heating on moons of the outer planets," Nature, Nature, vol. 456(7223), pages 770-772, December.
    2. B. E. Schmidt & D. D. Blankenship & G. W. Patterson & P. M. Schenk, 2011. "Active formation of ‘chaos terrain’ over shallow subsurface water on Europa," Nature, Nature, vol. 479(7374), pages 502-505, November.
    3. Michael H. Carr & Michael J. S. Belton & Clark R. Chapman & Merton E. Davies & Paul Geissler & Richard Greenberg & Alfred S. McEwen & Bruce R. Tufts & Ronald Greeley & Robert Sullivan & James W. Head , 1998. "Evidence for a subsurface ocean on Europa," Nature, Nature, vol. 391(6665), pages 363-365, January.
    4. Samuel M. Howell & Robert T. Pappalardo, 2020. "NASA’s Europa Clipper—a mission to a potentially habitable ocean world," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-4, December.
    5. Yosef Ashkenazy & Hezi Gildor & Martin Losch & Francis A. Macdonald & Daniel P. Schrag & Eli Tziperman, 2013. "Dynamics of a Snowball Earth ocean," Nature, Nature, vol. 495(7439), pages 90-93, March.
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