The Origin and Vertical Distribution of Carbon Monoxide in Jupiter

Six lines of the CO 1-0 vibration-rotation band near 4.7 μm have been observed in Jupiter at a resolution of 0.07 cm^-1 and have been clearly resolved. The measured line profiles indicate that the line-forming region is at a pressure of 2 - 9 bars. The authors conclude that CO is present in the troposphere at a mole fraction of 1.6±0.3×10^-9. The presence of CO in the troposphere clearly favors models with rapid vertical mixing as the source of CO. The observed mole fraction of tropospheric CO shows that the global oxygen abundance in Jupiter's gaseous envelope below the cloud-forming regions must be near the solar value.