No abstract

We analyze spectra acquired by the Cassini/Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) at high resolution from

No abstract

We have developed a line-by-line Atmospheric Radiative Transfer for Titan code that includes the most recent laboratory spectroscopic data and haze descriptions relative to Titan's stratosphere. We use this code to model Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer data taken during the numerous Titan flybys from 2006 to 2012 at surface-intercepting geometry in the 600-1500 cm −1 range for latitudes from 50 • S to 50 • N. We report variations in temperature and chemical composition in the stratosphere during the Cassini mission, before and after the Northern Spring Equinox (NSE). We find indication for a weakening of the temperature gradient with warming of the stratosphere and cooling of the lower mesosphere. In addition, we infer precise concentrations for the trace gases and their main isotopologues and find that the chemical composition in Titan's stratosphere varies significantly with latitude during the 6 years investigated here, with increased mixing ratios toward the northern latitudes. In particular, we monitor and quantify the amplitude of a maximum enhancement of several gases observed at northern latitudes up to 50 • N around mid-2009, at the time of the NSE. We find that this rise is followed by a rapid decrease in chemical inventory in 2010 probably due to a weakening north polar vortex with reduced lateral mixing across the vortex boundary.

We investigate the nature and possible formation processes of three areas on Titan's surface which have been suggested as geologically interesting: Hotei Regio, Tui Regio, and Sotra Patera. We also reanalyze the spectral characteristics of the Huygens Landing Site. We apply a statistical Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a radiative transfer (RT) method on the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer Datacubes in order to retrieve the surface albedo of distinct spectral units in the near infrared. We have been able to exploit only a subset of the currently available Hotei Regio data, which are, in general, not optimal in terms of geometry for an analysis with a plane-parallel RT code. Our inferred surface albedos present generally higher values from 1 to 2 μm and lower ones at 0.94 and in the 2.6-5 μm region. The Regions of Interest (RoIs) within Hotei Regio, Tui Regio, and Sotra Patera are always significantly brighter than the surrounding areas. The largest variations are found longward of 2 μm and mainly at 5 μm. This higher surface albedo with respect to the surrounding area and, in general, the fact that the spectral behavior is different for each of these areas, is probably indicative of diverse chemical compositions and origins. We compare the spectral albedos with some suggested surface candidates on Titan (such as H 2 O, CO 2 , and CH 4 ices, as well as tholin) and discuss possible chemical composition variations as well as other interpretations.

Since the Voyager 1 (V1) flyby in 1980, Titan's exploration from space and the ground has been ongoing for more than a full revolution of Saturn around the Sun (one Titanian year or 29.5 Earth years had elapsed in 2010 May). In this study, we search for temporal variations affecting Titan's atmospheric thermal and chemical structure within that year. We process Cassini/CIRS data taken during the Titan flybys from 2006-2013 and find a rather uneventful equatorial evolution. Conversely, at northern latitudes, we found enhanced abundances around the period of the northern spring equinox in mid-2009, which subsequently decreased (from 2010 to 2012), returning to values similar to those found in the V1 epoch, one Titanian year before. In the southern latitudes, since 2012, we see a trend for an increase of several trace gases (C 4 H 2 , C 3 H 4 , and HCN), indicative of a seasonal atmospheric reversal setting in. When we compare the CIRS 2010 and the 1980 V1/IRIS spectra (reanalyzed here), we find limited inter-annual variations. A return to the 1980 stratospheric temperatures and abundances is generally achieved from 50• N to 50• S, indicative of the solar radiation being the dominating energy source at 10 AU, as for the Earth, as predicted by general circulation and photochemical models. Exceptions concern the most complex hydrocarbons (C 4 H 2 and C 3 H 4 ). We also consider data from ground-based and Earth-orbiting observatories (such as from the Infrared Space Observatory, revisited here) and discuss possible atmospheric composition trends during a Titanian year.

In this Letter, we report the monitoring of seasonal evolution near Titan's poles. We find Titan's south pole to exhibit since 2010 a strong temperature decrease and a dramatic enhancement of several trace species such as complex hydrocarbons and nitriles (HC 3 N and C 6 H 6 in particular) previously only observed at high northern latitudes. This results from the seasonal change on Titan going from winter (2002) to summer (2017) in the north and, at the same time, the onset of winter in the south pole. During this transition period atmospheric components with longer chemical lifetimes linger in the north, undergoing slow photochemical destruction, while those with shorter lifetimes decrease and reappear in the south. An opposite effect was expected in the north, but not observed with certainty until now. We present here an analysis of high-resolution nadir spectra acquired by Cassini/Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer in the past years and describe the temperature and composition variations near Titan's poles. From 2013 until 2016, the northern polar region has shown a temperature increase of 10 K, while the south has shown a more significant decrease (up to 25 K) in a similar period of time. While the south polar region has been continuously enhanced since about 2012, the chemical content in the north is finally showing a clear depletion for most molecules only since 2015. This is indicative of a non-symmetrical response to the seasons in Titan's stratosphere that can set constraints on photochemical and GCM models.

No abstract