On an icy moon like Europa or Enceladus, the ice shell above the water may vary in thickness. The ice is thicker at the equator and thinner at the poles, this slope produces pressure and temperature differences at the ice–ocean boundary.
These differences create density (buoyancy) gradients in the upper ocean, which drives currents and baroclinic eddies (swirling motions) in the ocean.
In subsurface oceans (like on Europa or Enceladus), vertical mixing stirs heat between deep and shallow layers. This energizes baroclinic eddies, swirling flows caused by sloping density layers. Together, they create a circulation loop that transports heat from polar regions (thin ice) toward the equator (thick ice). But when topography (the shape of the seafloor or ice base) dominates, it can either suppress or enhance this heat flow depending on how dense layers are arranged.
ocean flow is modeled using the Boussinesq approximation model.
The differential rotation velocity of an ice shell or core depends on tidal, gravitational, and rotational forces. differential rotation velocity is very low — meaning the ice shell and the underlying ocean rotate almost together, with only tiny relative motion.
Source: https://arxiv.org/html/2510.25988v1
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