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Can I read Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan on EtoBox?
Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan by Sébastien Rodriguez; Stéphane Le Mouélic; Pascal Rannou; Gabriel Tobie; Kevin H. Baines; Jason W. Barnes; Caitlin A. Griffith; Mathieu Hirtzig; Karly M. Pitman; Christophe Sotin; Robert H. Brown; Bonnie J. Buratti; Roger N. Clark; Phil D. Nicholson is a Physics and Astronomy article available to read on EtoBox.
What is Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan about?
Clouds on Titan result from the condensation of methane and ethane and, as on other planets, are primarily structured by circulation of the atmosphere. At present, cloud activity mainly occurs in the southern (summer) hemisphere, arising near the pole and at mid-latitudes from cumulus updrafts triggered by surface heating and/or local methane sources, and at the north (winter) pole, resulting from the subsidence and condensation of ethane-rich air into the colder troposphere. General circulation models predict that this distribution should change with the seasons on a 15-year timescale, and that clouds should develop under certain circumstances at temperate latitudes ( approximately 40 degrees ) in the winter hemisphere. The models, however, have hitherto been poorly constrained and their long-term predictions have not yet been observationally verified. Here we report that the global spatial cloud coverage on Titan is in general agreement with the models, confirming that cloud activity is mainly controlled by the global circulation. The non-detection of clouds at latitude approximately 40 degrees N and the persistence of the southern clouds while the southern summer is ending are,
Who reads Global circulation as the main source of cloud activity on Titan?
It is typically read by researchers, students, and practitioners in Physics and Astronomy.
- Author
- Sébastien Rodriguez; Stéphane Le Mouélic; Pascal Rannou; Gabriel Tobie; Kevin H. Baines; Jason W. Barnes; Caitlin A. Griffith; Mathieu Hirtzig; Karly M. Pitman; Christophe Sotin; Robert H. Brown; Bonnie J. Buratti; Roger N. Clark; Phil D. Nicholson
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Published
- 2009
- Language
- EN
- Field
- Physics and Astronomy (Physical Sciences)