EVOLUTION OF PLANETARY ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES INDUCED BY THE FALL OF LARGE CELESTIAL BODIES

Mechanisms for the development of large-scale planetary atmospheric di sturbances induced by the fall of large-sized fractions of comets or a steroids are considered using the collisions of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter as an example. Estimations are can-led out, and a typhoo n mechanism is proposed which explains the observed vortical structure , energetics, and linear sizes of wakes that result from interactions between comet fragments and an atmosphere. It is shown that, due to in stabilities developing in the atmosphere, the sizes of a vortex formed may be significantly greater than the length scales of disturbances p roduced by energy release in an explosion of the largest comet fragmen t. The development and long-term evolution of vortex structures are si mulated using two- and three-dimensional codes. The calculation result s obtained are in good agreement with astronomical observations.