Sub-Seasonal Variation in Neptune's Mid-Infrared Emission

TL;DR

This study analyzes ground-based mid-infrared images of Neptune from 2003 to 2020, revealing significant sub-seasonal variations in its stratospheric and upper-tropospheric temperatures, linked to seasonal and solar cycle effects.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of Neptune's mid-infrared variability over multiple years, highlighting sub-seasonal changes in the planet's stratosphere and their potential causes.

Findings

Stratospheric temperatures cooled from 2003 to 2009.

South pole experienced dramatic warming between 2018 and 2020.

Upper-tropospheric temperatures remained mostly invariant during the period.

Abstract

We present an analysis of all currently available ground-based imaging of Neptune in the mid-infrared. Dating between 2003 and 2020, the images reveal changes in Neptune's mid-infrared ($\sim 8-25\mu$m) emission over time in the years surrounding Neptune's 2005 southern summer solstice. Images sensitive to stratospheric ethane ($\sim12\mu$m), methane ($\sim8\mu$m), and CH$_3$D ($\sim9\mu$m) display significant sub-seasonal temporal variation on regional and global scales. Comparison with H$_2$ S(1) hydrogen-quadrupole ($\sim17.035\mu$m) spectra suggests these changes are primarily related to stratospheric temperature changes. The stratosphere appears to have cooled between 2003 and 2009 across multiple filtered wavelengths, followed by a dramatic warming of the south pole between 2018 and 2020. Conversely, upper-tropospheric temperatures -- inferred from $\sim 17-25$-micron imaging -- appear invariant during this period, except for the south pole, which appeared warmest between 2003 and 2006. We discuss the observed variability in the context of seasonal forcing, tropospheric meteorology, and the solar cycle. Collectively, these data provide the strongest evidence to date that processes produce sub-seasonal variation on both global and regional scales in Neptune's stratosphere.