The atmosphere of Jupiter lacks a clear lower boundary and gradual transitions into the fluid interior of the planet [4].
From bottom to top, the atmospheric layers are categorized as the troposphere, stratosphere, thermosphere and
exosphere with characteristic temperature gradients [5]. The lowest layer troposphere has a complicated system of
clouds and hazes, comprising layers of ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide and water [6]. The upper ammonia clouds
visible at its surface are organized in a number of zonal bands parallel to the equator and are bounded by powerful
zonal atmospheric winds called jets. The bands reveal alternate color; the dark bands are called belts and the light ones
are called zones. Zones are colder than belts and correspond to upwelling but belts mark descending air [7]. The lighter
color of zones is believed to be owing to ammonia ice though the darker colors of belts are not known with certainty
[7]. The origins of the banded structure and jets are not yet clearly understood, though two models, viz. shallow model
and deep model exist. The shallow model holds that they are surface phenomena overlaying a stable interior while the
deep model suggests that the bands and jets are surface manifestations of deep circulation in Jupiter's mantle of
molecular hydrogen and it is organized into cylinders [8].
The atmosphere of Jupiter exhibits a wide range of active phenomena. These include band instabilities, storms and
lightning and vortices covering cyclones and anticyclones [8]. The vortices show as large red, white or brown spots
(ovals). The largest two red spots are known as the Great Red Spot (GRS) [8] and Oval BA [8]. These two and almost
all other large spots are anticyclonic but smaller anticyclones tend to be white. Vortices are of relatively shallow
structures with depths not exceeding several hundred kilometers. In the southern hemisphere, the GRS is the largest
vortex in the Solar System. Oval BA located south of GRS and a third the size of GRS, is a red spot that formed in
2000 due to merging of three white ovals [8].
Jupiter has highly powerful storms accompanied by lightning strikes. The storms are formed due to moist convection in
the atmosphere connected to the evaporation and condensation of water and are sites of strong upward motion of the air
leading to the formation of bright and dense clouds. The storms are originated mostly in belt regions. The lightning
strikes on Jupiter are much more powerful than those on Earth but they are fewer in number and as a matter of fact the
average levels of lightning activity are comparable to those on Earth [8].