Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.5506t&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #55.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1077
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
Today Titan's surface temperature is 95 K and its atmosphere contains 1.5 bars of N2. The standard model for Titan is that the current thick atmosphere has been present over the age of the Solar System. However, observations of Titan present some paradoxes for the standard model: the short life time of methane, the lack of good evidence for active cryovolcanism, and the inadequate surface deposit to account for the photochemical products that would have accumulated over 4.5 billion years. Thus alternative models are motivated. Today both surface albedo and greenhouse warming contribute to Titan's surface temperature and its atmosphere condition. The albedo could have been different if the surface of ancient Titan was covered by liquid nitrogen/methane or solid methane ice. The greenhouse effect depends on the existence of atmospheric methane and nitrogen. The variations of either factor could have made ancient Titan similar to present Triton with high surface albedo and little atmosphere. Alternatively early Titan could have had much larger fraction of its nitrogen and methane in liquid phase (ocean/lakes), which would have interesting geological implications. In this work we will explore the effect of changing surface albedo, surface reservoirs of nitrogen and methane, and greenhouse warming on ancient Titan's climate.
Howard Alan D.
McKay Chris
Moore Jeffery M.
Tian Feng
Toon Brian O.
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