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Detailed Reference Information |
Gibbard, S.G., de Pater, I., Macintosh, B.A., Roe, H.G., Max, C.E., Young, E.F. and McKay, C.P. (2004). Titan's 2 µm surface albedo and haze optical depth in 1996–2004. Geophysical Research Letters 31: doi: 10.1029/2004GL019803. issn: 0094-8276. |
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We observed Titan in 1996--2004 with high-resolution 2 ¿m speckle and adaptive optics imaging at the W. M. Keck Observatory. By observing in a 2 ¿m broadband filter we obtain images that have contributions from both Titan's surface and atmosphere. We have modeled Titan's atmosphere using a plane-parallel radiative transfer code that has been corrected to agree with 3-D Monte Carlo predictions. We find that Titan's surface albedo ranges from ≤0.02 in the darkest equatorial region of the trailing hemisphere to $simeq$0.1 in the brightest areas of the leading hemisphere. Over the past quarter of a Saturnian year haze optical depth in Titan's Southern hemisphere has decreased substantially from a value of 0.48 in 1996 down to 0.18 in 2004, while the northern haze has been increasing over the past few years. As a result of these changes, in 2004 the North/South haze asymmetry at K' band has disappeared. |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Atmospheres—evolution, Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Composition, Planetology, Solar System Objects, Saturnian satellites |
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union 2000 Florida Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-1277 USA 1-202-462-6900 1-202-328-0566 service@agu.org |
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