The Bathymetry of a Titan Sea (Invited)
Abstract
During Titan fly-by T91 (23th May, 2013), the Cassini Radar instrument was operating on altimeter mode from an altitude of ~1600 km, collecting data along a 300 km track over the Ligeia Mare, on the northern hemisphere of Titan. By means of a dedicated data processing procedure able to suppress the lateral lobes of the first strong surface sea reflection, we were able to detect echoes from the bottom. Additional coherent processing was used to improve the resolution and detection of the seabed and, with an algorithm able to track the peak of the surface and subsurface echoes, we derived the bathymetry of the sea. The subsurface reflected power, received at different depths, was analyzed to estimate Cassini signal attenuation caused by the two-way propagation into the sea. We found that the seabed slopes more gently towards the northern shore, consistent with previously imaged shoreline morphologies suggestive of shallow slopes and sedimentation, than at the south where steep hills and flooded valleys are found. We also found experimental constraints for determine the liquid composition.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.P52B..06M
- Keywords:
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- 5405 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS Atmospheres;
- 5464 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS Remote sensing;
- 5470 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS Surface materials and properties;
- 6281 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS Titan