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Since Jupiter is farther away from the Sun than the Earth, it should theoretically be colder, but in fact, Jupiter has a vast range of temperatures. Unlike the Earth which is heated by the Sun, Jupiter's core actually produces its own heat. Temperatures range from extremely hot 54,000 [degrees] F (30,000 [degrees] C) at its core to frigidly cold -238 [degrees] F (150 [degrees] C) in its outer cloud layers,
The heat generated by Jupiter's core causes its atmosphere to be in constant motion. Jupiter's extremely strong winds (up to 400 mph) are caused largely by its vast temperature ranges. The intense heat near the core causes gas molecules to rise rapidly. These molecules cool quickly as they enter the frigid outer layers and fall back inwards towards Jupiter. This constant movement of molecules causes Jupiter's intense winds. It also causes the formation of yellowish-brown smog.
The temperature of the inner core can be estimated using experimental and theoretical constraints on the melting temperature of impure iron at the pressure (about 330 GPa) of the inner core boundary, yielding estimates of 5,700 K (5,430 °C; 9,800 °F).[8] The range of pressure in Earth's inner core is about 330 to 360 gigapascals (3,300,000 to 3,600,000 atm),[9] and iron can only be solid at such high temperatures because its melting temperature increases dramatically at these high pressures.[10]
The core of the Earth is still hot because it contains radioactive uranium which was derived from a local supernova explosion before the earth formed. It is the heat produced by radioactive decay that has prevented the Earth's core from cooling and solidifying. Heat sources include gravitational energy released by the compression of the core, gravitational energy released by the rejection of light elements
Originally posted by Sinter Klaas
reply to post by jrmcleod
Hi star for you., That was a very informative reply.
You made me understand the issue a lot better. Just to make sure...
You basically say that because of changes in our atmosphere, the gulf currents warm and moist air ( we normally get here ) is blocked because the jet stream has been forced south due to a vortex that created an opening for cold arctic weather to get redistributed across northern Europe, which would normally been block by that same yet stream ?
A major contribution of the Gulf Stream system is its warming effect upon the climates of adjacent land areas. In winter the air over the ocean west of Norway is more than 40° F (22° C) warmer than the average for that latitude, one of the greatest temperature anomalies in the world. The prevailing westerly winds carry the warmth and moisture of the ocean to northwestern Europe, giving Bergen, Nor., at 60° N latitude, an average high temperature for its coldest month of 34° F (1° C), while Reykjavík, Ice., 4° of latitude farther north, has a 31° F (0° C) average for its coldest month. In southwestern England the climatic modification produced by the current is reflected in the extraordinary mildness of the winters at this northern latitude, including the growing of winter vegetables and flowers and the presence of subtropical vegetation and lemon trees in southern Devonshire. Along the western margins of the North Atlantic, however, where the winds are predominantly from the shore, the Gulf Stream has little effect. Halifax, Nova Scotia, nearly 1,000 miles south of Bergen, averages only 23° F (-5° C) during its coldest month.
Such a change could have a severe impact on Britain, which lies on the same latitude as Siberia and ought to be much colder. The Gulf Stream transports 27,000 times more heat to British shores than all the nation’s power supplies could provide, warming Britain by 5-8C.
In the case of the North Atlantic, heat is carried northward and eastward by the Gulf Stream. This current warms the coast evenly through the year, in winter as well as summer. Averaged over a year, the Gulf Stream provides Western Europe with a third as much warmth as the Sun does.
Originally posted by purplemer
if the gulf stream stopped we would have colder winters than moscow in the uk...
kx
That's the paradoxical scenario gaining credibility among many climate scientists. The thawing of sea ice covering the Arctic could disturb or even halt large currents in the Atlantic Ocean. Without the vast heat that these ocean currents deliver--comparable to the power generation of a million nuclear power plants--Europe's average temperature would likely drop 5 to 10°C (9 to 18°F), and parts of eastern North America would be chilled somewhat less. Such a dip in temperature would be similar to global average temperatures toward the end of the last ice age roughly 20,000 years ago.
Originally posted by PurpleDog UK
Just want to add this 'weather' story into the mix...
hisz.rsoe.hu...
You don't see this very often do you ?? Snow getting towards the Equator !
A snowstorm whipped across the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, disrupting traffic but also bringing some relief from a drought which has gripped the country for the past four years. The UN estimates drought has affected around 1.3 million Syrians, 800,000 of them severely, in four consecutive droughts since 2006. The desert countries of Jordan and Egypt were meanwhile hit by sandstorms on Sunday as visibility deteriorated and temperatures continued to plummet.
regards
PDUK