Seasonal Model Temperatures of Saturn's Stratosphere: The Effects of Meridional, Vertical, and Temporal Hydrocarbon Abundance Variations

Details Seasonal Model Temperatures of Saturn's Stratosphere: The Effects of Meridional, Vertical, and Temporal Hydrocarbon Abundance Variations Seasonal Model Temperatures of Saturn's Stratosphere: The Effects of Meridional, Vertical, and Temporal Hydrocarbon Abundance Variations

Oct 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007dps....39.3707s&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #39, #37.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.488

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We present results from an improved multilayer radiative seasonal climate model for the study of Saturn's stratospheric temperatures. The model incorporates stratospheric heating due to CH4 absorption of sunlight and cooling from CH4, C2H2, and C2H6 line emission along with H2-H2, H2-He, and H2-CH4 collision induced continuum emissions within the spectral range of 0 to 1x105 cm-1. Here, we examine the effects meridional, vertical, and temporal hydrocarbon abundance variations have on seasonal stratospheric temperatures on Saturn. We compare the results with earlier models (Bezard et al. 1984 and Conrath et al. 1990), our nominal model (hydrocarbon abundances constant in time), and to recent observations by Greathouse et al. 2005, Orton et al. 2005, Flasar et al. 2005, and Howett et al. 2007. Unlike the earlier models where the hydrocarbon abundances were held constant vertically, meridionally, and temporally, our nominal model (temporally constant hydrocarbon abundances) exhibits increasing temperatures from equator to pole at southern summer solstice, Ls = 270 (2002), between 1 and 2.3 mbar. This behavior is consistent with both Cassini and ground-based thermal infrared observations. The seasonally dependent insolation produces significant hemispheric asymmetries in temperature, which lessen with increasing pressure. Maximum summer temperatures lag the summer solstice by 1 - 3 Earth years, as a function of atmospheric pressure and latitude, with the largest lag occurring at the highest pressures.
This work is sponsored by The Lunar and Planetary Institute.

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