The rivers and seas of Titan
Abstract:
Saturn’s moon Titan is the second known Solar system world with active rivers and seas. Titan’s deceptively Earth-like landscape, the product of a methane cycle akin to Earth’s water cycle, has forced us to think differently about the processes that shape planetary surfaces. I will illustrate this with examples from Titan’s landscape, including the dynamics of methane rivers eroding mountains of ice, the search for waves on Titan’s seas, and the formation (or not) of river deltas. Drawing on data from the Cassini-Huygens mission, I will show how comparisons with Earth’s landscapes can teach us about Titan’s topography, weather, and climate.
TSI Seminars take place weekly during the Fall and Winter terms. TSI seminars are intended to be accessible to scientists from the entire breadth of backgrounds at TSI, including, Physics, Planetary Science, Geology, Atmospheric Science, and Astrobiology. Our seminar series is partially funded by the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Québec (CRAQ).