Mid-infrared mapping of Jupiter’s temperatures, aerosol opacity and chemical distributions with IRTF/TEXES

•Global spectral maps of Jupiter’ s 5–20 µm thermal emission are provided by IRTF/TEXES.•Quality of retrieved maps of temperature, composition and aerosols surpass previous spacecraft results.•Jupiter’ s NEB hotspots are identifiable throughout the thermal-IR and tilt westward with height.•Ammonia plumes are observed at the equator, southeast of desiccated NEB hotspots.•Long-term asymmetries in phosphine, hydrocarbons and 2D wind field are detected. Global maps of Jupiter’s atmospheric temperatures, gaseous composition and aerosol opacity are derived from a programme of 5–20 µm mid-infrared spectroscopic observations using the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES) on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). Image cubes from December 2014 in eight spectral channels, with spectral resolutions of R ∼2000−12,000 and spatial resolutions of 2–4° latitude, are inverted to generate 3D maps of tropospheric and stratospheric temperatures, 2D maps of upper tropospheric aerosols, phosphine and ammonia, and 2D maps of stratospheric ethane and acetylene. The results are compared to a re-analysis of Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) observations acquired during Cassini’s closest approach to Jupiter in December 2000, demonstrating that this new archive of ground-based mapping spectroscopy can match and surpass the quality of previous investigations, and will permit future studies of Jupiter’s evolving atmosphere. The visibility of cool zones and warm belts varies from channel to channel, suggesting complex vertical variations from the radiatively-controlled upper troposphere to the convective mid-troposphere. We identify mid-infrared signatures of Jupiter’s 5-µm hotspots via simultaneous M, N and Q-band observations, which are interpreted as temperature and ammonia variations in the northern Equatorial Zone and on the edge of the North Equatorial Belt (NEB). Equatorial plumes enriched in NH3 gas are located south-east of NH3-desiccated ‘hotspots’ on the edge of the NEB. Comparison of the hotspot locations in several channels across the 5–20 µm range indicate that these anomalous regions tilt westward with altitude. Aerosols and PH3 are both enriched at the equator but are not co-located with the NH3 plumes. The equatorial temperature minimum and PH3/aerosol maxima have varied in amplitude over time, possibly as a result of periodic equatorial brightenings and the fresh updrafts of disequilibrium material. Temperate mid-latitudes display a correla