Atmospheric Circulation of Hot Jupiters: A Review of Current Understanding

TL;DR

This review summarizes current understanding of hot Jupiter atmospheric circulation, emphasizing the unique dynamics due to their extreme conditions and comparing different modeling approaches to interpret observational data.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of atmospheric dynamics concepts and evaluates various modeling strategies used to study hot Jupiter atmospheres.

Findings

Distinct circulation regimes due to unusual forcing conditions

Comparison of multiple modeling approaches

Importance of atmospheric dynamics in interpreting data

Abstract

Hot Jupiters are new laboratories for the physics of giant planet atmospheres. Subject to unusual forcing conditions, the circulation regime on these planets may be unlike anything known in the Solar System. Characterizing the atmospheric circulation of hot Jupiters is necessary for reliable interpretation of the multifaceted data currently being collected on these planets. We discuss several fundamental concepts of atmospheric dynamics that are likely central to obtaining a solid understanding of these fascinating atmospheres. A particular effort is made to compare the various modeling approaches employed so far to address this challenging problem.