1. Possible temperate lakes on Titan
- Author
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Jason W. Barnes, Sebastien Rodriguez, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Shannon MacKenzie, Paul Wilson, Christophe Sotin, Brian Jackson, G. Vixie, University of Idaho [Moscow, USA], Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physics [Moscow,USA], University of Wolverhampton, North Carolina State University [Raleigh] (NC State), University of North Carolina System (UNC), Astrophysique Interprétation Modélisation (AIM (UMR7158 / UMR_E_9005 / UM_112)), and Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,[PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP] ,media_common.quotation_subject ,atmosphere Titan ,Atmospheric sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Latitude ,symbols.namesake ,hydrology Titan ,surface Radiative transfer ,0103 physical sciences ,Potential temperature ,Atmosphere of Titan ,Subsurface flow ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,Shore ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Atmospheric correction ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,[SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics] ,13. Climate action ,Space and Planetary Science ,Sky ,symbols ,Titan ,Titan (rocket family) ,Geology - Abstract
International audience; We analyze southern mid-latitude albedo-dark features on Titan observed by Cassini's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). In exploring the nature of these features we consider their morphology, albedo, and specular reflectivity. We suggest that they represent candidates for potential temperate lakes. The presence of lakes at the mid-latitudes would indicate that surface liquid can accumulate and remain stable away from Titan's poles. Candidate lakes were identified by looking for possible shorelines with lacustrine morphology. Then, we applied an atmospheric correction that empirically solved for their surface albedo. Finally, we looked for a specular reflection of the sky in the identified candidates. Using this prescription, we find two candidates that remain as potential temperature lakes. If candidate features do represent temperate lakes on Titan, they have implications for formation mechanisms such as clouds and rainfall or, in low elevation areas, percolation and subsurface flow. Clouds were observed near candidate lake locations on the T66 flyby and this latitude band showed many clouds during southern summer. Our techniques can be applied to areas of Titan that lack RADAR coverage to search for mid-and low-latitude lakes in the future.
- Published
- 2015
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