Titan’s surface composition and atmospheric transmission with solar occultation measurements by Cassini VIMS

Hayne, P. O.; McCord, T. B.; Sotin, C.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.045

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(89 reference statements)

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“…Based on Titan's bulk density (∼1.88 g/cm 3 [ Jacobson et al , ]) water ice makes up a large fraction of Titan's mass and is therefore another likely candidate surface material. Evidence for water ice on Titan's surface was first obtained by ground‐based telescopes [ Griffith et al , , ] and has also been seen in VIMS [ McCord et al , ; Griffith et al , ; Hayne et al , ] and DISR data [ Tomasko et al , ; Rannou et al , ]. Others have argued that these features can be explained by other hydrocarbons or nitriles [ Clark et al , ].…”

Section: Connection With the Surfacementioning

confidence: 94%

Titan's atmosphere and climate

2017

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Titan is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere, the only other thick N2 atmosphere besides Earth's, the site of extraordinarily complex atmospheric chemistry that far surpasses any other solar system atmosphere, and the only other solar system body with stable liquid currently on its surface. The connection between Titan's surface and atmosphere is also unique in our solar system; atmospheric chemistry produces materials that are deposited on the surface and subsequently altered by surface‐atmosphere interactions such as aeolian and fluvial processes resulting in the formation of extensive dune fields and expansive lakes and seas. Titan's atmosphere is favorable for organic haze formation, which combined with the presence of some oxygen‐bearing molecules indicates that Titan's atmosphere may produce molecules of prebiotic interest. The combination of organics and liquid, in the form of water in a subsurface ocean and methane/ethane in the surface lakes and seas, means that Titan may be the ideal place in the solar system to test ideas about habitability, prebiotic chemistry, and the ubiquity and diversity of life in the universe. The Cassini‐Huygens mission to the Saturn system has provided a wealth of new information allowing for study of Titan as a complex system. Here I review our current understanding of Titan's atmosphere and climate forged from the powerful combination of Earth‐based observations, remote sensing and in situ spacecraft measurements, laboratory experiments, and models. I conclude with some of our remaining unanswered questions as the incredible era of exploration with Cassini‐Huygens comes to an end.

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Section: Connection With the Surfacementioning

confidence: 94%

Titan's atmosphere and climate

2017

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“…Titan is at least partially differentiated and it is likely that a water-ice crust is present (Iess et al, 2010;Mitri et al, 2010;Hemingway et al, 2013;Hayne et al, 2014). It may, however, be mixed with an uncertain combination of alkanes and alkane-hydrates, particularly in the polar regions (MacKenzie et al, 2014).…”

Section: Fluvial Incision On Titanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Formation of gravel pavements during fluvial erosion as an explanation for persistence of ancient cratered terrain on Titan and Mars

Howard

Breton²,

Moore

2016

Icarus

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“…[] noted that the strong 3 µm water ice absorption feature will result in a negative spectral slope from 2.7 to 2.8 µm for any water ice exposed on Titan and that every VIMS spectrum acquired of Titan shows a positive slope between these wavelengths. New measurements of atmospheric transmission show that Titan's atmosphere absorbs more strongly at 2.7 µm than it does at 2.8 µm [ Barnes et al ., ; Hayne et al ., ], so the raw I/F measured by VIMS may not represent the true surface reflectivity at 2.7 µm. A full radiative transfer analysis is needed to confirm the quantitative effect of the atmospheric absorption on surface reflectivities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral properties of Titan's impact craters imply chemical weathering of its surface

Neish

Barnes

Sotin

et al. 2015

Geophysical Research Letters

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We examined the spectral properties of a selection of Titan's impact craters that represent a range of degradation states. The most degraded craters have rims and ejecta blankets with spectral characteristics that suggest that they are more enriched in water ice than the rims and ejecta blankets of the freshest craters on Titan. The progression is consistent with the chemical weathering of Titan's surface. We propose an evolutionary sequence such that Titan's craters expose an intimate mixture of water ice and organic materials, and chemical weathering by methane rainfall removes the soluble organic materials, leaving the insoluble organics and water ice behind. These observations support the idea that fluvial processes are active in Titan's equatorial regions.

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Titan’s surface composition and atmospheric transmission with solar occultation measurements by Cassini VIMS

Cited by 24 publications

References 62 publications

Titan's atmosphere and climate

Titan's atmosphere and climate

Formation of gravel pavements during fluvial erosion as an explanation for persistence of ancient cratered terrain on Titan and Mars

Spectral properties of Titan's impact craters imply chemical weathering of its surface

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