Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus
Abstract After discovering a jet activity near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, the Cassini mission demonstrated the existence of a subsurface water ocean with a unique sampling opportunity through flybys. Diurnal variations in the observed brightness of the plume suggest a tidal control,...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:cbb0138db06544f5adf3ee9af737f7c3 2024-09-15T18:36:46+00:00 Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus Ondřej Souček Marie Běhounková Martin Lanzendörfer Gabriel Tobie Gaël Choblet 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z https://doaj.org/article/cbb0138db06544f5adf3ee9af737f7c3 EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z https://doaj.org/toc/2041-1723 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z 2041-1723 https://doaj.org/article/cbb0138db06544f5adf3ee9af737f7c3 Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024) Science Q article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z 2024-09-02T15:34:35Z Abstract After discovering a jet activity near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, the Cassini mission demonstrated the existence of a subsurface water ocean with a unique sampling opportunity through flybys. Diurnal variations in the observed brightness of the plume suggest a tidal control, although the existence and timing of two activity maxima seem to contradict stress analysis predictions. Here, we re-interpret the observed plume variability by combining a 3D global model of tidal deformation of the fractured ice shell with a 1D local model of transport processes within south-polar faults. Our model successfully predicts the observed plume’s temporal variability by combining two independent vapour transport mechanisms: slip-controlled jet flow and normal-stress-controlled ambient flow. Moreover, it provides a possible explanation for the differences between the vapour and solid emission rates during the diurnal cycle and the observed fractionation of the various icy particle families. Our model prediction could be tested by future JWST observations targeted when Enceladus is at different positions on its orbit and could be used to determine the optimal strategy for plume material sampling by future space missions. Article in Journal/Newspaper South pole Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Nature Communications 15 1 |
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Science Q |
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Science Q Ondřej Souček Marie Běhounková Martin Lanzendörfer Gabriel Tobie Gaël Choblet Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
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Abstract After discovering a jet activity near the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, the Cassini mission demonstrated the existence of a subsurface water ocean with a unique sampling opportunity through flybys. Diurnal variations in the observed brightness of the plume suggest a tidal control, although the existence and timing of two activity maxima seem to contradict stress analysis predictions. Here, we re-interpret the observed plume variability by combining a 3D global model of tidal deformation of the fractured ice shell with a 1D local model of transport processes within south-polar faults. Our model successfully predicts the observed plume’s temporal variability by combining two independent vapour transport mechanisms: slip-controlled jet flow and normal-stress-controlled ambient flow. Moreover, it provides a possible explanation for the differences between the vapour and solid emission rates during the diurnal cycle and the observed fractionation of the various icy particle families. Our model prediction could be tested by future JWST observations targeted when Enceladus is at different positions on its orbit and could be used to determine the optimal strategy for plume material sampling by future space missions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ondřej Souček Marie Běhounková Martin Lanzendörfer Gabriel Tobie Gaël Choblet |
author_facet |
Ondřej Souček Marie Běhounková Martin Lanzendörfer Gabriel Tobie Gaël Choblet |
author_sort |
Ondřej Souček |
title |
Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
title_short |
Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
title_full |
Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
title_fullStr |
Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on Enceladus |
title_sort |
variations in plume activity reveal the dynamics of water-filled faults on enceladus |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z https://doaj.org/article/cbb0138db06544f5adf3ee9af737f7c3 |
genre |
South pole |
genre_facet |
South pole |
op_source |
Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z https://doaj.org/toc/2041-1723 doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z 2041-1723 https://doaj.org/article/cbb0138db06544f5adf3ee9af737f7c3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51677-z |
container_title |
Nature Communications |
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15 |
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1 |
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1810480489568403456 |