Article (Scientific journals)
An attempt to detect transient changes in Io's SO2 and NaCl atmosphere
Roth, L.; Boissier, J.; Moullet, A. et al.
2020In Icarus, 350
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Keywords :
Io's atmosphere; Magnetospheric variability; Volcanic activity
Abstract :
[en] Io's atmosphere is predominately SO2 that is sustained by a combination of volcanic outgassing and sublimation. The loss from the atmosphere is the main mass source for Jupiter's large magnetosphere. Numerous previous studies attributed various transient phenomena in Io's environment and Jupiter's magnetosphere to a sudden change in the mass loss from the atmosphere supposedly triggered by a change in volcanic activity. Since the gas in volcanic plumes does not escape directly, such causal correlation would require a transient volcano-induced change in atmospheric abundance, which has never been observed so far. Here we report four observations of atmospheric SO2 and NaCl from the same hemisphere of Io, obtained with the IRAM NOEMA interferometer on 11 December 2016, 14 March, 6 and 29 April 2017. These observations are compared to measurements of volcanic hot spots and Io's neutral and plasma environment. We find a stable NaCl column density in Io's atmosphere on the four dates. The SO2 column density derived for December 2016 is about 30% lower compared to the SO2 column density found in the period of March to April 2017. This increase in SO2 from December 2016 to March 2017 might be related to increasing volcanic activity observed at several sites in spring 2017, but the stability of the volcanic trace gas NaCl and resulting decrease in NaCl/SO2 ratio do not support this interpretation. Observed dimmings in both the sulfur ion torus and Na neutral cloud suggest rather a decrease in mass loading in the period of increasing SO2 abundance. The dimming Na brightness and stable atmospheric NaCl furthermore dispute an earlier suggested positive correlation of the sodium cloud and the hot spot activity at Loki Patara, which considerably increased in this period. The environment of Io overall appears to be in a rather quiescent state, preventing further conclusions. Only Jupiter's aurora morphology underwent several short-term changes, which are apparently unrelated to Io's quiescent environment or the relatively stable atmosphere. © 2020 The Authors
Research Center/Unit :
STAR - Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research - ULiège
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Roth, L.;  Space and Plasma Physics, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
Boissier, J.;  IRAM, 300 rue de la Piscine, 38406 St. Martin d'Heres, Grenoble, France
Moullet, A.;  NASA, Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett FieldCA, United States
Sánchez-Monge, Á.;  I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, Köln, Germany
de Kleer, K.;  California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd. M/C 150-21, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
Yoneda, M.;  Tadano Ltd., Takamatsu, Japan
Hikida, R.;  Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Kita, H.;  Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Japan
Tsuchiya, F.;  Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Blöcker, A.;  Space and Plasma Physics, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
Gladstone, G. R.;  Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, United States
Grodent, Denis  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'astrophys., géophysique et océanographie (AGO) > Labo de physique atmosphérique et planétaire (LPAP)
Ivchenko, N.;  Space and Plasma Physics, Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm, Sweden
Lellouch, E.;  LESIA–Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Denis Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, Meudon, France
Retherford, K. D.;  Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, United States
Saur, J.;  Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, Cologne, D-50923, Germany
Schilke, P.;  I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, Köln, Germany
Strobel, D.;  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
Thorwirth, S.;  I. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, Köln, Germany
More authors (9 more) Less
Language :
English
Title :
An attempt to detect transient changes in Io's SO2 and NaCl atmosphere
Publication date :
2020
Journal title :
Icarus
ISSN :
0019-1035
eISSN :
1090-2643
Publisher :
Academic Press Inc.
Volume :
350
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
SNSA - Swedish National Space Agency
DFG - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Sverige Vetenskapsrådet
Funding number :
Swedish National Space Agency, SNSA: 154/17; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG: 184018867
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