Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Titan's dense atmosphere, composed mainly of methane and nitrogen, maintains a methane cycle that shapes its surface. Like water on Earth, methane precipitation erodes Titan's surface, carving river networks at all latitudes, as revealed by the Cassini‐Huygens mission. On Earth, it is well known that laboratory and natural rivers exhibit a power‐law relationship between their bankfull geometry and water discharge, as described by the threshold theory. Here, we investigate this hydraulic‐geometric relationship on two rivers on Titan, one near the equator and the other at the south pole. We hypothesize that this relationship can be applied to any river, and test it for the first time on extraterrestrial rivers. Having shown that Titan's rivers are consistent with the threshold theory, we use this relationship to estimate river discharge from bankfull geometry. As a perspective, we then use these discharges to infer precipitation rates, which could help to better understand Titan's climate.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters
DOI: 10.1029/2024gl111912
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
OpenAlex ID: W4409627256