Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution

Details Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.2101a&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #21.01

Mathematics

Logic

Scientific paper

Titan's hydrocarbon lakes exhibit a dramatic hemispheric asymmetry in their distribution. Liquid filled and empty lakes cover significant area fractions of the northern high latitudes, while the same southern latitudes are now known to be largely devoid of such features. Recently acquired SAR images in the southern hemisphere confirm early suggestions that, with approximately equal coverage of area sampled (>50%), a dichotomy is present in all lake types: filled lakes represent about 10% of the coverage area in the north compared with <0.1% in the south. Empty and granular lakes are each a factor of >5 more abundant in the north than in the south.
Here we propose that the observed difference in lake distribution may be caused by an asymmetry in Titan's seasons due to Saturn's orbital configuration, discuss quantitatively the feasibility of this new idea for Titan, and its predictable time dependence. The effect is modulated by, and reverses with, dynamical variations in the orbit. In this picture, much like in Earth's climate cycles, the resulting vigorous hydrologic cycle has a period of tens of thousands of years and leads to active geologic surface modification in the polar latitudes with that timescale. We discuss the possibility in light of the new data, new global circulation models, as well as the implications of possible hydrocarbon liquid level changes for this idea.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Titan's Dichotomy in Lake Distribution and its Astronomical Evolution will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1332418