English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Storms operated by moist convection and the condensation of $\rm CH_{4}$ or$\rm H_{2}S$ have been observed on Uranus and Neptune. However, the mechanismof cloud formation, thermal structure, and mixing efficiency of ice giantweather layers remains unclear. In this paper, we show that moist convection islimited by heat transport on giant planets, especially on ice giants whereplanetary heat flux is weak. Latent heat associated with condensation andevaporation can efficiently bring heat across the weather layer throughprecipitations. This effect was usually neglected in previous studies without acomplete hydrological cycle. We first derive analytical theories and show theupper limit of cloud density is determined by the planetary heat flux andmicrophysics of clouds but independent of the atmospheric composition. The eddydiffusivity of moisture depends on the heat fluxes, atmospheric composition,and gravity of the planet but is not directly related to cloud microphysics. Wethen conduct convection- and cloud-resolving simulations with SNAP to validateour analytical theory. The simulated cloud density and eddy diffusivity aresmaller than the results acquired from the equilibrium cloud condensation modeland mixing length theory by several orders of magnitude but consistent with ouranalytical solutions. Meanwhile, the mass-loading effect of $\rm CH_{4}$ and$\rm H_{2}S$ leads to superadiabatic and stable weather layers. Our simulationsproduced three cloud layers that are qualitatively similar to recentobservations. This study has important implications for cloud formation andeddy mixing in giant planet atmospheres in general and observations for futurespace missions and ground-based telescopes.

Heat-Flux Limited Cloud Activity and Vertical Mixing in Giant Planet Atmospheres with an Application to Uranus and Neptune