"Jupiter's Great Red Spot Should Have Disappeared Centuries Ago" --A New Theory About the Enduring Mystery,Jupiter's Great Red Spot is one of the solar system's most mysterious landmarks. Based on what scientists understand about fluid dynamics, this massive storm – which is big enough to engulf the Earth two or three times over – should have disappeared centuries ago. Pedram Hassanzadeh, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, and Philip Marcus, a professor of fluid dynamics at the University of California, Berkeley, think they can explain why. Their work, which Hassanzadeh will present at the annual meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics in Pittsburgh on November 25, also provides insight into persistent ocean eddies and vortices that contribute to star and planet formation. "Based on current theories, the Great Red Spot should have disappeared after several decades. Instead, it has been there for hundreds of years," said Hassanzadeh, who is a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard's Center for the Environment and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Many processes dissipate vortices like the Red Spot, Hassanzadeh explained. The turbulence and waves in and around the Red Spot sap the energy of its winds. The vortex also loses energy by radiating heat. Finally, the Red Spot sits between two strong jet streams that flow in opposite directions and may slow down its spinning.

from group posted by Rodrigo R. Menezes

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