Tokano, Tetsuya and Lorenz, Ralph D. (2016). Sun-stirred Kraken Mare: Circulation in Titan's seas induced by solar heating and methane precipitation. Icarus, 270. S. 67 - 85. SAN DIEGO: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. ISSN 1090-2643

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Abstract

Density-driven circulation in Titan's seas forced by solar heating and methane evaporation/precipitation is simulated by an ocean circulation model. If the sea is transparent to sunlight, solar heating can induce anti-clockwise gyres near the sea surface and clockwise gyres near the sea bottom. The gyres are in geostrophic balance between the radially symmetric pressure gradient force and Coriolis force. If instead the sea is turbid and most sunlight is absorbed near the sea surface, the sea gets stratified in warm seasons and the circulation remains weak. Precipitation causes compositional stratification of the sea to an extent that the sea surface temperature can be lower than the sea interior temperature without causing a convective overturning. Non-uniform precipitation can also generate a latitudinal gradient in the methane mole fraction and density, which drives a meridional overturning with equatorward currents near the sea surface and poleward currents near the sea bottom. However, gyres are more ubiquitous than meridional overturning. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Item Type: Journal Article
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCIDORCID Put Code
Tokano, TetsuyaUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
Lorenz, Ralph D.UNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIEDUNSPECIFIED
URN: urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-275707
DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.033
Journal or Publication Title: Icarus
Volume: 270
Page Range: S. 67 - 85
Date: 2016
Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
Place of Publication: SAN DIEGO
ISSN: 1090-2643
Language: English
Faculty: Unspecified
Divisions: Unspecified
Subjects: no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:
KeywordsLanguage
HYDROCARBON LAKES; SURFACE; ATMOSPHERE; DYNAMICS; LIQUIDMultiple languages
Astronomy & AstrophysicsMultiple languages
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/27570

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