Abstract Latitudinal variations in heat transport shape the thermal and magnetic evolution of rapidly rotating planets, stars, and icy moons. Although global simulations have revealed strong equatorial–polar contrasts, a predictive scaling theory has been lacking. Here we use rotating Rayleigh‐Bénard convection with tilted rotation and gravity axes to model dynamics at different latitudes in the geostrophic regime. We derive scaling relations for convective length scales and the Nusselt number that explain the latitude dependence of heat transfer. At high latitudes, near onset and above onset; at low latitudes, . These relations, validated against direct numerical simulations in spherical shells, unify local and global models. The results provide the first predictive framework for latitude‐dependent rotating thermal convection, with implications for Earth's core, gas giants, stellar interiors, and ocean circulation in icy moons.
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Veeraraghavan Kannan
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Varghese Mathai
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Xiaojue Zhu
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Geophysical Research Letters
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
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Kannan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
synapsesocial.com/papers/69b4ad8d18185d8a39800e85 — DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119650