Observational evidence for active dust storms on Titan at equinox

Rodríguez, S.; Mouélic, S. Le; Barnes, Jason W.; Kok, Jasper F.; Rafkin, Scot; Lorenz, R. D.; Charnay, Benjamin; Radebaugh, J.; Narteau, C.; Cornet, T.; Bourgeois, Olivier; Lucas, Antoine; Rannou, P.; Griffith, C. A.; Coustenis, A.; Appéré, T.; Hirtzig, M.; Sotin, C.; Soderblom, Jason M.; Brown, R. H.; Bow, J.; Vixie, G.; Maltagliati, Luca; Pont, Sylvain Courrech du; Jaumann, R.; Stephan, K.; Baines, K. H.; Buratti, B. J.; Clark, R. N.; Nicholson, P. D.

doi:10.1038/s41561-018-0233-2

Cited by 26 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Dunes and lakes (including seas) are the youngest units on Titan 2 , 3 , 21 . Because there is no contact between lakes and dunes, it is not possible to distinguish the relative ages of these units and, given active seasonal weather patterns including rainfall 12 and wind 29 , it is likely that both are still forming and changing on Titan. Craters are an intermediate unit in relative age, some are seen in hummocky terrain, particularly in the Xanadu area, and several are infilled by dune and plains materials.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A global geomorphologic map of Saturn’s moon Titan

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Titan has an active methane-based hydrologic cycle 1 that has shaped a complex geologic landscape 2 , making its surface one of most geologically diverse in the solar system. Despite the different materials, temperatures, and gravity fields between Earth and Titan, many surface features are similar between the two worlds and can be interpreted as products of the same geologic processes 3 . However, Titan’s thick and hazy atmosphere has hindered the identification of geologic features at visible wavelengths and the study of surface composition 4 . Here we identify and map the major geologic units on Titan’s surface using radar and infrared data from the Cassini orbiter spacecraft. Correlations between datasets enabled us to produce a global map even where data sets were incomplete. The spatial and superposition relations between major geologic units reveals the likely temporal evolution of the landscape and gives insight into the interacting processes driving its evolution. We extract the relative dating of the various geological units by observing their spatial superposition in order to get information on the temporal evolution of the landscape. Dunes and lakes are relatively young, while hummocky/mountainous terrains are the oldest on Titan. Our results also show that Titan’s surface is dominated by sedimentary/depositional processes with significant latitudinal variation, with dunes at the equator, plains at mid-latitudes and labyrinth terrains and lakes at the poles.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A global geomorphologic map of Saturn’s moon Titan

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rainfall is predicted to reevaporate over a period of a few Titan years (Newman et al, 2016). Moreover, the presence of dunes (Lorenz et al, 2006) and dust storms (Rodriguez et al, 2018) near Titan's equator indicates insufficient surface wetting to totally extinguish aeolian processes. Surface humidity levels measured by Huygens were 50%, too small for cloud formation, which may require a humidity level of 60% (Griffith et al, 2000), and also too small for substantial rainfall, which may require a humidity level of 80% (Hueso & Sánchez-Lavega, 2006).…”

Section: Properties Of Dust Devils On Titanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cassini's instruments observed fields of giant sand dunes girding Titan's equator and covering about 13% of its surface (Radebaugh et al, ). How the dune sands, with expected grain diameters

D_{normalp} \sim 200 normalμ normalm

(Barnes et al, ), and dust grains, with diameters

D_{normalp} \sim 5 normalμ normalm

(Rodriguez et al, ), are produced is unclear, but their organic composition probably ultimately derives from the atmospheric aerosols (Barnes et al, ). Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer also revealed three regional dust storms near the equator (Rodriguez et al, ) that occurred during the equinox season in 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How the dune sands, with expected grain diameters

D_{normalp} \sim 200 normalμ normalm

(Barnes et al, ), and dust grains, with diameters

D_{normalp} \sim 5 normalμ normalm

5 normalμ normalm

in radius and resembling the organic haze in composition (Rodriguez et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer also revealed three regional dust storms near the equator (Rodriguez et al, ) that occurred during the equinox season in 2009. Radiative transfer modeling implicate dust grains about

5 normalμ normalm

in radius and resembling the organic haze in composition (Rodriguez et al, ). General circulation models (GCMs) of Titan predict precipitation at low latitudes during this season as the result of seasonal convergence of Hadley cells (Lora et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dust Devils on Titan

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conditions on Saturn's moon Titan suggest that dust devils, which are convective, dust‐laden plumes, may be active. Although the exact nature of dust on Titan is unclear, previous observations confirm an active aeolian cycle, and dust devils may play an important role in Titan's aeolian cycle, possibly contributing to regional transport of dust and even production of sand grains. The Dragonfly mission to Titan will document dust devil and convective vortex activity and thereby provide a new window into these features, and our analysis shows that associated winds are likely to be modest and pose no hazard to the mission.

show abstract

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.

show abstract

Observational evidence for active dust storms on Titan at equinox

Cited by 26 publications

References 42 publications

A global geomorphologic map of Saturn’s moon Titan

A global geomorphologic map of Saturn’s moon Titan

Dust Devils on Titan

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About