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Title: SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES

Abstract

Seasonal changes in Titan's surface brightness temperatures have been observed by Cassini in the thermal infrared. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer measured surface radiances at 19 {mu}m in two time periods: one in late northern winter (LNW; L{sub s} = 335 deg.) and another centered on northern spring equinox (NSE; L{sub s} = 0 deg.). In both periods we constructed pole-to-pole maps of zonally averaged brightness temperatures corrected for effects of the atmosphere. Between LNW and NSE a shift occurred in the temperature distribution, characterized by a warming of {approx}0.5 K in the north and a cooling by about the same amount in the south. At equinox the polar surface temperatures were both near 91 K and the equator was at 93.4 K. We measured a seasonal lag of {Delta}L{sub S} {approx} 9{sup 0} in the meridional surface temperature distribution, consistent with the post-equinox results of Voyager 1 as well as with predictions from general circulation modeling. A slightly elevated temperature is observed at 65{sup 0} S in the relatively cloud-free zone between the mid-latitude and southern cloud regions.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064 (United States)
  3. LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 92195 Meudon Cedex (France)
  4. Institut fuer Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universitaet zu Koeln, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Koeln (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21562485
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 737; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/L15; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; BRIGHTNESS; PLANETS; RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER; SEASONAL VARIATIONS; SURFACES; TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION; ENERGY TRANSFER; HEAT TRANSFER; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; VARIATIONS

Citation Formats

Jennings, D E, Cottini, V, Nixon, C A, Flasar, F M, Kunde, V G, Samuelson, R E, Romani, P N, Hesman, B E, Carlson, R C, Gorius, N J. P., Coustenis, A, and Tokano, T. SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/L15.
Jennings, D E, Cottini, V, Nixon, C A, Flasar, F M, Kunde, V G, Samuelson, R E, Romani, P N, Hesman, B E, Carlson, R C, Gorius, N J. P., Coustenis, A, & Tokano, T. SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/L15
Jennings, D E, Cottini, V, Nixon, C A, Flasar, F M, Kunde, V G, Samuelson, R E, Romani, P N, Hesman, B E, Carlson, R C, Gorius, N J. P., Coustenis, A, and Tokano, T. 2011. "SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/L15.
@article{osti_21562485,
title = {SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES},
author = {Jennings, D E and Cottini, V and Nixon, C A and Flasar, F M and Kunde, V G and Samuelson, R E and Romani, P N and Hesman, B E and Carlson, R C and Gorius, N J. P. and Coustenis, A and Tokano, T},
abstractNote = {Seasonal changes in Titan's surface brightness temperatures have been observed by Cassini in the thermal infrared. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer measured surface radiances at 19 {mu}m in two time periods: one in late northern winter (LNW; L{sub s} = 335 deg.) and another centered on northern spring equinox (NSE; L{sub s} = 0 deg.). In both periods we constructed pole-to-pole maps of zonally averaged brightness temperatures corrected for effects of the atmosphere. Between LNW and NSE a shift occurred in the temperature distribution, characterized by a warming of {approx}0.5 K in the north and a cooling by about the same amount in the south. At equinox the polar surface temperatures were both near 91 K and the equator was at 93.4 K. We measured a seasonal lag of {Delta}L{sub S} {approx} 9{sup 0} in the meridional surface temperature distribution, consistent with the post-equinox results of Voyager 1 as well as with predictions from general circulation modeling. A slightly elevated temperature is observed at 65{sup 0} S in the relatively cloud-free zone between the mid-latitude and southern cloud regions.},
doi = {10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/L15},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21562485}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal Letters},
issn = {2041-8205},
number = 1,
volume = 737,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Wed Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}