Methane drizzle on Titan
International audience Saturn's moon Titan shows landscapes with fluvial features suggestive of hydrology based on liquid methane. Recent efforts in understanding Titan's methane hydrological cycle have focused on occasional cloud outbursts near the south pole or cloud streaks at southern...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03785258 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04948 |
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ftunivparis:oai:HAL:hal-03785258v1 2024-06-02T08:14:35+00:00 Methane drizzle on Titan Tokano, Tetsuya Mckay, Christopher P. Neubauer, Fritz M. Atreya, Sushil K. Ferri, Francesca Fulchignoni, Marcello Niemann, Hasso B. Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln (IGM) National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd) Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA) Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Pôle Planétologie du LESIA Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 2006 https://hal.science/hal-03785258 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04948 en eng HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/nature04948 hal-03785258 https://hal.science/hal-03785258 BIBCODE: 2006Natur.442.432T doi:10.1038/nature04948 ISSN: 0028-0836 EISSN: 1476-4687 Nature https://hal.science/hal-03785258 Nature, 2006, 442, pp.432-435. ⟨10.1038/nature04948⟩ [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2006 ftunivparis https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04948 2024-05-07T02:52:44Z International audience Saturn's moon Titan shows landscapes with fluvial features suggestive of hydrology based on liquid methane. Recent efforts in understanding Titan's methane hydrological cycle have focused on occasional cloud outbursts near the south pole or cloud streaks at southern mid-latitudes and the mechanisms of their formation. It is not known, however, if the clouds produce rain or if there are also non-convective clouds, as predicted by several models. Here we show that the in situ data on the methane concentration and temperature profile in Titan's troposphere point to the presence of layered optically thin stratiform clouds. The data indicate an upper methane ice cloud and a lower, barely visible, liquid methane-nitrogen cloud, with a gap in between. The lower, liquid, cloud produces drizzle that reaches the surface. These non-convective methane clouds are quasi-permanent features supported by the global atmospheric circulation, indicating that methane precipitation occurs wherever there is slow upward motion. This drizzle is a persistent component of Titan's methane hydrological cycle and, by wetting the surface on a global scale, plays an active role in the surface geology of Titan. Article in Journal/Newspaper South pole Université de Paris: Portail HAL South Pole Nature 442 7101 432 435 |
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Université de Paris: Portail HAL |
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ftunivparis |
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English |
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[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] |
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[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] Tokano, Tetsuya Mckay, Christopher P. Neubauer, Fritz M. Atreya, Sushil K. Ferri, Francesca Fulchignoni, Marcello Niemann, Hasso B. Methane drizzle on Titan |
topic_facet |
[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] |
description |
International audience Saturn's moon Titan shows landscapes with fluvial features suggestive of hydrology based on liquid methane. Recent efforts in understanding Titan's methane hydrological cycle have focused on occasional cloud outbursts near the south pole or cloud streaks at southern mid-latitudes and the mechanisms of their formation. It is not known, however, if the clouds produce rain or if there are also non-convective clouds, as predicted by several models. Here we show that the in situ data on the methane concentration and temperature profile in Titan's troposphere point to the presence of layered optically thin stratiform clouds. The data indicate an upper methane ice cloud and a lower, barely visible, liquid methane-nitrogen cloud, with a gap in between. The lower, liquid, cloud produces drizzle that reaches the surface. These non-convective methane clouds are quasi-permanent features supported by the global atmospheric circulation, indicating that methane precipitation occurs wherever there is slow upward motion. This drizzle is a persistent component of Titan's methane hydrological cycle and, by wetting the surface on a global scale, plays an active role in the surface geology of Titan. |
author2 |
Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universität zu Köln (IGM) National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd) Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA) Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Pôle Planétologie du LESIA Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA) Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité) NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tokano, Tetsuya Mckay, Christopher P. Neubauer, Fritz M. Atreya, Sushil K. Ferri, Francesca Fulchignoni, Marcello Niemann, Hasso B. |
author_facet |
Tokano, Tetsuya Mckay, Christopher P. Neubauer, Fritz M. Atreya, Sushil K. Ferri, Francesca Fulchignoni, Marcello Niemann, Hasso B. |
author_sort |
Tokano, Tetsuya |
title |
Methane drizzle on Titan |
title_short |
Methane drizzle on Titan |
title_full |
Methane drizzle on Titan |
title_fullStr |
Methane drizzle on Titan |
title_full_unstemmed |
Methane drizzle on Titan |
title_sort |
methane drizzle on titan |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03785258 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04948 |
geographic |
South Pole |
geographic_facet |
South Pole |
genre |
South pole |
genre_facet |
South pole |
op_source |
ISSN: 0028-0836 EISSN: 1476-4687 Nature https://hal.science/hal-03785258 Nature, 2006, 442, pp.432-435. ⟨10.1038/nature04948⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/nature04948 hal-03785258 https://hal.science/hal-03785258 BIBCODE: 2006Natur.442.432T doi:10.1038/nature04948 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04948 |
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Nature |
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442 |
container_issue |
7101 |
container_start_page |
432 |
op_container_end_page |
435 |
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1800738490436026368 |