The bathymetry of a Titan sea
Language
en
Article de revue
This item was published in
Geophysical Research Letters. 2014-03, vol. 41, p. 1432-1437
American Geophysical Union
English Abstract
construct the depth profile--the bathymetry--of Titan's large sea Ligeia Mare from Cassini RADAR data collected during the 23 May 2013 (T91) nadir-looking altimetry flyby. We find the greatest depth to be about 160 m and ...Read more >
construct the depth profile--the bathymetry--of Titan's large sea Ligeia Mare from Cassini RADAR data collected during the 23 May 2013 (T91) nadir-looking altimetry flyby. We find the greatest depth to be about 160 m and a seabed slope that is gentler toward the northern shore, consistent with previously imaged shoreline morphologies. Low radio signal attenuation through the sea demonstrates that the liquid, for which we determine a loss tangent of 3 ± 1*10-5, is remarkably transparent, requiring a nearly pure methane-ethane composition, and further that microwave absorbing hydrocarbons, nitriles, and suspended particles be limited to less than the order of 0.1% of the liquid volume. Presence of nitrogen in the ethane-methane sea, expected based on its solubility and dominance in the atmosphere, is consistent with the low attenuation, but that of substantial dissolved polar species or suspended scatterers is not.Read less <
English Keywords
Cassini
Remote sensing
Planetary Sciences
Solar System Objects
Titan
Hydrology
Origin
Hal imported