Automated extraction of Saturn's winds and comparison with 3D simulations of Saturn's two polar vortices and transient vortices

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This project centers on the development and application of a new, automated algorithm to measure the speeds of winds in Saturn's observable weather layer. The PI and a graduate student will improve on their technique of Advected Corrected Correlation Image Velocimetry (ACCIV); this algorithm automatically tracks the movement of cloud features between pairs of in-situ images obtained from spacecraft, and extracts velocity fields with much higher efficiency and resolution than existing automated or manual methods. They will apply this analysis to Cassini images of Saturn, particularly in the region of the polar vortices, and extract velocities with uncertainties of only 1 meter per second. They will produce a public, user friendly version of ACCIV and make it available to the planetary science and broader research communities.