We construct the depth profilethe bathymetryof Titan's large sea Ligeia Mare from Cassini RADAR data collected during the 23 May 2013 (T91) nadir-looking altimetry flyby. We find the greatest depth to be about 160m and a seabed slope that is gentler toward the northern shore, consistent with previously imaged shoreline morphologies. Low radio signal attenuation through the sea demonstrates that the liquid, for which we determine a loss tangent of 31<bold>10(</bold>-5), is remarkably transparent, requiring a nearly pure methane-ethane composition, and further that microwave absorbing hydrocarbons, nitriles, and suspended particles be limited to less than the order of 0.1% of the liquid volume. Presence of nitrogen in the ethane-methane sea, expected based on its solubility and dominance in the atmosphere, is consistent with the low attenuation, but that of substantial dissolved polar species or suspended scatterers is not. Key Points <list list-type="bulleted" id="grl51441-list-0001"> <list-item id="grl51441-li-0001">First direct measurement of the depth of a Titan sea <list-item id="grl51441-li-0002">First determination of the nearly pure methane-ethane Ligeia Mare composition <list-item id="grl51441-li-0003">Determination of the total volume of Ligeia Mare

The bathymetry of a Titan sea / Mastrogiuseppe, Marco; Poggiali, Valerio; Alexander, Hayes; Lorenz, Ralph; R., Lorenz; Jonathan, Lunine; Giovanni, Picardi; Seu, Roberto; Enrico, Flamini; Giuseppe, Mitri; Claudia, Notarnicola; Paillou, Philippe; Zebker, Howard; P., Paillou; H., Zebker. - In: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS. - ISSN 0094-8276. - ELETTRONICO. - 41:5(2014), pp. 1432-1437. [10.1002/2013gl058618]

The bathymetry of a Titan sea

MASTROGIUSEPPE, MARCO;POGGIALI, VALERIO;SEU, Roberto;
2014

Abstract

We construct the depth profilethe bathymetryof Titan's large sea Ligeia Mare from Cassini RADAR data collected during the 23 May 2013 (T91) nadir-looking altimetry flyby. We find the greatest depth to be about 160m and a seabed slope that is gentler toward the northern shore, consistent with previously imaged shoreline morphologies. Low radio signal attenuation through the sea demonstrates that the liquid, for which we determine a loss tangent of 3110(-5), is remarkably transparent, requiring a nearly pure methane-ethane composition, and further that microwave absorbing hydrocarbons, nitriles, and suspended particles be limited to less than the order of 0.1% of the liquid volume. Presence of nitrogen in the ethane-methane sea, expected based on its solubility and dominance in the atmosphere, is consistent with the low attenuation, but that of substantial dissolved polar species or suspended scatterers is not. Key Points First direct measurement of the depth of a Titan sea First determination of the nearly pure methane-ethane Ligeia Mare composition Determination of the total volume of Ligeia Mare
2014
hydrology; radar altimeter; titan; cassini; solar system objects; planetary sciences; bathymetry; remote sensing
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The bathymetry of a Titan sea / Mastrogiuseppe, Marco; Poggiali, Valerio; Alexander, Hayes; Lorenz, Ralph; R., Lorenz; Jonathan, Lunine; Giovanni, Picardi; Seu, Roberto; Enrico, Flamini; Giuseppe, Mitri; Claudia, Notarnicola; Paillou, Philippe; Zebker, Howard; P., Paillou; H., Zebker. - In: GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS. - ISSN 0094-8276. - ELETTRONICO. - 41:5(2014), pp. 1432-1437. [10.1002/2013gl058618]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/563925
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