Titan's Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR

Details Titan's Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR Titan's Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR

Aug 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005dps....37.5307l&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #37, #53.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 37, p.740

Mathematics

Logic

Scientific paper

Radar imagery from the October 2004 TA encounter (1) indicated a number of bright, narrow, sinuous features that might be cracks or canyons - two of these appeared to connect to the apices of triangular radar-bright striated features that may be alluvial fans rendered radar-bright by wavelength-scale (>2cm) cobbles or boulders. The findings of the Huygens probe seem to support the idea of pluvial and fluvial activity on Titan. The February 2005 T3 encounter provided radar imagery of another region with two areas of dendritic networks of bright sinuous features, one being a remarkable collection of apparently braided channels draining into a radar-bright plain. We present analysis of the topological properties (branching ratios, tortuosity etc.) of these networks and channels, supporting an origin via erosion by heavy rainfall on a relatively uncohesive terrain, and present some terrestrial analogs.
We consider these observations in the context of a paradigm for Titan (2,3,4) reminiscent of the hydrology of the US desert southwest, where long droughts are punctuated by catastrophic downpours. Even though the annual average rainfall is modest (energetically limited to 1cm/yr (3)) pluvial/fluvial erosion is a major agent of geomorphological change. Although perhaps climatologically inaccurate, the term ``Methane Monsoon" coined by Arthur C. Clarke (5) is an evocative name for the paradigm.
References (1) C. Elachi et al., Science, 308, 970-974, 2005. (2) R. D. Lorenz, Science, 290, 467-468, 2000. (3) R. D. Lorenz and J. Mitton, Lifting Titan's Veil, Cambridge University Press, 2002. (4) R. D. Lorenz et al., Geophysical Review Letters, 32, L01201, 2005 (5). A. C. Clarke, Imperial Earth, , Victor Gollancz, London, 1975

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Titan's Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR 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 Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Titan's Methane Monsoon : Evidence of Catastrophic Hydrology from Cassini RADAR will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-952537