Kinetic Energy Budget of Zonal Winds on Uranus and Neptune

This paper examines the kinetic energy stored in the zonal winds of the two ice giants. Using only published input values and transparent formulae, the calculation addresses how much kinetic energy resides in the weather layer above the 100 bar level, using observed wind speeds, and how quickly the intrinsic heat flow could replenish that store if it were dissipated. The headline results are: column_mass_kg_m2_above_100bar_uranus = 1127396; column_mass_kg_m2_above_100bar_neptune = 896861; wind_KE_per_area_J_m2_uranus = 2.029e+09. The method, inputs and limitations are stated in full so that any reader can reproduce or rescale every number from the deposited calculation script. The central finding is that the wind store above 100 bar could be rebuilt by the intrinsic heat flow in years to decades, so the winds are energetically inexpensive; the harder problem is organising a small energy flux into fast, narrow jets rather than supplying the energy itself. Agreement and disagreement with independent published estimates are reported at their actual size, and the conclusions are limited to what the budget arithmetic supports.