Precipitation-induced surface brightenings seen on Titan by Cassini VIMS and ISS
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2191-2521-2-1.pdf
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Author(s)
Barnes, Jason W.
Buratti, Bonnie J.
Turtle, Elizabeth P.
Bow, Jacob
Dalba, Paul A.
Perry, Jason
Brown, Robert H.
Rodriguez, Sebastien
Mouelic, Stephane Le
Baines, Kevin H.
Date Issued
January 2013
Journal
Planetary Science
Publisher
Springer
Citation
Barnes, Jason W. et al. “Precipitation-induced Surface Brightenings Seen on Titan by Cassini VIMS and ISS.” Planetary Science 2.1 (2013): 1.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Abstract Observations from Cassini VIMS and ISS show localized but extensive surface brightenings in the wake of the 2010 September cloudburst. Four separate areas, all at similar latitude, show similar changes: Yalaing Terra, Hetpet Regio, Concordia Regio, and Adiri. Our analysis shows a general pattern to the time-sequence of surface changes: after the cloudburst the areas darken for months, then brighten for a year before reverting to their original spectrum. From the rapid reversion timescale we infer that the process driving the brightening owes to a fine-grained solidified surface layer. The specific chemical composition of such solid layer remains unknown. Evaporative cooling of wetted terrain may play a role in the generation of the layer, or it may result from a physical grain-sorting process.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Creative Commons Attribution
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1186/2191-2521-2-1
