Ground based observations of synoptic cloud systems in southern equatorial to temperate latitudes of Jupiter from 1975 to 1983

Abstract

Ground based telescopic observations of Jupiter's atmosphere have been carried out from 1975 to 1983 in order to analyse, in a temporal framework, the morphology and dynamics of cloud synoptic systems in southern equatorial to temperate latitudes. The main features described in this paper are: a) The evolution of a cyclonic region inside the South Temperate Belt; b) The triple outburst of activity in 1975 of a South Equatorial Belt Disturbance with another single event in 1979. Moreover, the emergence of white clouds in the wake of the Great Red Spot was a continuous phenomenon during these years; c) The development of columns and streaks, known as South Tropical Disturbances, triggered after conjunction between ovals BC and FA with the Great Red Spot, and the periodic apparition of spots in the South edge of the South Equatorial Belt; d)The formation of a white cloud system from the South Equatorial Belt Disturbance 1975 eruption, near the jovian equator, which persisted for eight years or more. A possible correlation between some of these features and the main role played by the presence of the Great Red Spot in their genesis is suggested