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Abstract Jupiter's atmosphere comprises several dynamical regimes: the equatorial eastward flows and surrounding retrograde jets; the midlatitudes, with the eddy‐driven, alternating jet‐streams and meridional circulation cells; and the jet‐free turbulent polar region. Despite intensive research conducted on each of these dynamical regimes over the past decades, they remain only partially understood. Saturn's atmosphere also encompasses similar distinguishable regimes, but observational evidence for midlatitude deep meridional cells is lacking. Models offer a variety of explanations for each of these regions, but only a few are capable of simulating more than one of the regimes at once. This study presents new numerical simulations using a 3D deep anelastic model that can reproduce the equatorial flows as well as the midlatitudinal pattern of the mostly barotropic, alternating eddy‐driven jets and the meridional circulation cells accompanying them. These simulations are consistent with recent Juno mission gravity and microwave data. We find that the vertical eddy momentum fluxes are as important as the meridional eddy momentum fluxes, which drive the midlatitudinal circulation on Earth. In addition, we discuss the parameters controlling the number of midlatitudinal jets/cells, their extent, strength, and location. We identify the strong relationship between meridional circulation and the zonal jets in a deep convection setup, and analyze the mechanism responsible for their generation and maintenance. The analysis presented here provides another step in the ongoing pursuit of understanding the deep atmospheres of gas giants.

Abstract Several different factors influence the seasonal cycle of a planet. This study uses a general circulation model and an energy balance model (EBM) to assess the parameters that govern the seasonal cycle. We define two metrics to describe the seasonal cycle, ϕs, the latitudinal shift of the maximum temperature, and ΔT, the maximum seasonal temperature variation amplitude. We show that alongside the expected dependence on the obliquity and orbital period, where seasonality generally strengthens with an increase in these parameters, the seasonality depends in a nontrivial way on the rotation rate. While the seasonal amplitude decreases as the rotation rate slows down, the latitudinal shift, ϕs, shifts poleward. A similar result occurs in a diffusive EBM with increasing diffusivity. These results suggest that the influence of the rotation rate on the seasonal cycle stems from the effect of the rotation rate on the atmospheric heat transport.