3D Simulation Data for: Localized Convection in Sputnik Planitia, Pluto

Numerical simulations of bottom-heated convection in a layer of nitrogen ice under temperature conditions expected on Sputnik Planitia, Pluto. Numerical calculations are performed in a 12x12x1 box, where the top and bottom boundaries are maintained at constant temperatures of 36 K and 63 K, respectively. The top boundary is free-slip, whereas the bottom boundary is no-slip. The vertical boundaries are free-slip and thermally insulated. The viscosity follows the power-law creep function, i.e., it depends on both temperature and stress, and the experimentally determined flow-law parameters for power-law creep in nitrogen ice are used (Yamashita et al., 2010). The calculations are conducted using CitcomCU (Moresi and Gurnis, 1996; Zhong, 2006). The numerical domain is divided into cube-shaped finite elements, and the number of elements in the vertical direction is 32. For a 12x12x1 box, this resolution translates into 4,718,592 finite elements. The stability boundaries of the localized convection planform are determined using the approach described in previous studies (e.g., Solomatov, 2024). Localized plume is found to be stable between the Rayleigh numbers Ra = 770 and Ra = 840. The outputs of our simulations at Ra = 770 and Ra = 840 are provided. For each case, the nondimensional values of the temperature at the transverse cross-section through the center of the plume (i.e., transverse slice at y = 6) and the nondimensional values of the surface observables- the topographic anomaly, surface heat flux, and absolute surface convective velocity - along this cross-section are given. The procedure to dimensionalize the quantities is also described, which can help reproduce Fig. 3 in the paper.