stronomers have watched Jupiter’s Great Red Spot through their telescopes for hundreds of years. This giant storm was once the size of three Earths, but its size has shrunk, particularly over the last 50 years. Astronomers said on July 18, 2024, that the shrinking may be due to a lack of smaller storms to feed it.
Caleb Keaveney of Yale University led the research that used 3D simulations of interactions between the Great Red Spot and smaller storms. They found that nearby storms would strengthen the Great Red Spot, increasing its size. So the current shrinking spot may be due to a lack of smaller storms in its diet.
Notably, this interplay is similar to how heat domes work on Earth. These persistent high-pressure regions – like the Great Red Spot – can maintain their presence with the help of smaller weather systems nearby. Keaveney said:
https://earthsky.org/space/jupiters-great-red-spot-is-shrinking-images/
