User menu

Accès à distance ? S'identifier sur le proxy UCLouvain

Numerical study of tides in Ontario Lacus, a hydrocarbon lake on the surface of the Saturnian moon Titan

Primary tabs

download
  • Open access
  • PDF
  • 10.46 M
Vincent, David [UCL] Karatekin, Ozgür [UCL] Vallaeys, Valentin [UCL] Hayes, Alexander [Cornell University] Mastrogiuseppe, Marco [Cornell University] Dehant, Véronique [UCL] Deleersnijder, Eric [UCL]

In the context of the emergence of extra-terrestrial oceanography, we adapted an existing oceanographic model, SLIM (www.climate.be/slim), to the conditions of Titan, a moon of Saturn. The tidal response of the largest southern lake at Titan's surface, namely Ontario Lacus, is simulated. SLIM solves the 2D, depth-averaged shallow water equations on an unstructured mesh using the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method, which allows for high spatial resolution wherever needed. The impact of the wind forcing, the bathymetry, and the bottom friction is also discussed. The predicted maximum tidal range is about 0.56 m in the southern part of the lake, which is more than twice as large as the previous estimates (Tokano, 2010). The patterns and magnitude of the current are also markedly different from those of previous studies: the tidal motion is not aligned with the major axis of the lake and the speed is larger nearshore. Indeed, the main tidal component rotates clockwise in an exact period of one Titan day and the tidal currents can reach 0.046 m/s close to the shores depending on the geometry and the bathymetry. Except for these specific nearshore regions, the current speed is less than 0.02 m/s. Circular patterns can be observed offshore, their rotational direction and size varying along the day.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès libre
Publication date 2016
Language Anglais
Journal information "Ocean Dynamics" - Vol. 66, no. 4, p. 461-482 (April 2016)
Peer reviewed yes
Publisher Springer (Berlin, Heidelberg)
issn 1616-7341
e-issn 1616-7228
Publication status Publié
Affiliation UCL - SST/IMMC/MEMA - Applied mechanics and mathematics
Keywords Ontario Lacus ; Tides ; Titan ; Finite Element ; Numerical model ; Extraterrestrial oceanography ; CISM ; CECI
Links
  1. Aharonson O., Hayes A. G., Lunine J. I., Lorenz R. D., Allison M. D., Elachi C., An asymmetric distribution of lakes on Titan as a possible consequence of orbital forcing, 10.1038/ngeo698
  2. Barnes Jason W., Brown Robert H., Soderblom Jason M., Soderblom Laurence A., Jaumann Ralf, Jackson Brian, Le Mouélic Stéphane, Sotin Christophe, Buratti Bonnie J., Pitman Karly M., Baines Kevin H., Clark Roger N., Nicholson Phillip D., Turtle Elizabeth P., Perry Jason, Shoreline features of Titan's Ontario Lacus from Cassini/VIMS observations, 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.12.028
  3. Bernard Paul-Emile, Chevaugeon Nicolas, Legat Vincent, Deleersnijder Eric, Remacle Jean-François, High-order h-adaptive discontinuous Galerkin methods for ocean modelling, 10.1007/s10236-006-0093-y
  4. Beuthe Mikael, Tidal Love numbers of membrane worlds: Europa, Titan, and Co., 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.06.008
  5. Brown R. H., Baines K. H., Bellucci G., Bibring J.-P., Buratti B. J., Capaccioni F., Cerroni P., Clark R. N., Coradini A., Cruikshank D. P., Drossart P., Formisano V., Jaumann R., Langevin Y., Matson D. L., Mccord T. B., Mennella V., Miller E., Nelson R. M., Nicholson P. D., Sicardy B., Sotin C., The Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) Investigation, The Cassini-Huygens Mission ISBN:1402031475 p.111-168, 10.1007/1-4020-3874-7_3
  6. Brown R. H., Soderblom L. A., Soderblom J. M., Clark R. N., Jaumann R., Barnes J. W., Sotin C., Buratti B., Baines K. H., Nicholson P. D., The identification of liquid ethane in Titan’s Ontario Lacus, 10.1038/nature07100
  7. de Brye Benjamin, de Brauwere Anouk, Gourgue Olivier, Kärnä Tuomas, Lambrechts Jonathan, Comblen Richard, Deleersnijder Eric, A finite-element, multi-scale model of the Scheldt tributaries, river, estuary and ROFI, 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2010.04.001
  8. de Brye Benjamin, Schellen Sébastien, Sassi Maximiliano, Vermeulen Bart, Kärnä Tuomas, Deleersnijder Eric, Hoitink Ton, Preliminary results of a finite-element, multi-scale model of the Mahakam Delta (Indonesia), 10.1007/s10236-011-0410-y
  9. Cordier Daniel, Mousis Olivier, Lunine Jonathan I., Lavvas Panayotis, Vuitton Véronique, AN ESTIMATE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF TITAN's LAKES, 10.1088/0004-637x/707/2/l128
  10. Cordier D., Mousis O., Lunine J.I., Lebonnois S., Rannou P., Lavvas P., Lobo L.Q., Ferreira A.G.M., Titan's lakes chemical composition: Sources of uncertainties and variability, 10.1016/j.pss.2011.05.009
  11. Cottini V., Nixon C.A., Jennings D.E., de Kok R., Teanby N.A., Irwin P.G.J., Flasar F.M., Spatial and temporal variations in Titan's surface temperatures from Cassini CIRS observations, 10.1016/j.pss.2011.03.015
  12. Dermott Stanley F., Sagan Carl, Tidal effects of disconnected hydrocarbon seas on Titan, 10.1038/374238a0
  13. Drews Carl, Using Wind Setdown and Storm Surge on Lake Erie to Calibrate the Air-Sea Drag Coefficient, 10.1371/journal.pone.0072510
  14. Elachi C., Allison M. D., Borgarelli L., Encrenaz P., Im E., Janssen M. A., Johnson W. T. K., Kirk R. L., Lorenz R. D., Lunine J. I., Muhleman D. O., Ostro S. J., Picardi G., Posa F., Rapley C. G., Roth L. E., Seu R., Soderblom L. A., Vetrella S., Wall S. D., Wood C. A., Zebker H. A., Radar: The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper, 10.1007/s11214-004-1438-9
  15. Flasar F. M., Kunde V. G., Abbas M. M., Achterberg R. K., Ade P., Barucci A., Bézard B., Bjoraker G. L., Brasunas J. C., Calcutt S., Carlson R., Césarsky C. J., Conrath B.J., Coradini A., Courtin R., Coustenis A., Edberg S., Edgington S., Ferrari C., Fouchet T., Gautier D., Gierasch P. J., Grossman K., Irwin P., Jennings D. E., Lellouch E., Mamoutkine A. A., Marten A., Meyer J. P., Nixon C. A., Orton G. S., Owen T. C., Pearl J. C., Prangé R., Raulin F., Read P. L., Romani P. N., Samuelson R. E., Segura M. E., Showalter M. R., Simon-Miller A. A., Smith M. D., Spencer J. R., Spilker L. J., Taylor F. W., Exploring the Saturn System in the Thermal Infrared: The Composite Infrared Spectrometer, The Cassini-Huygens Mission ISBN:1402031475 p.169-297, 10.1007/1-4020-3874-7_4
  16. Friedson A. James, West Robert A., Wilson Eric H., Oyafuso Fabiano, Orton Glenn S., A global climate model of Titan's atmosphere and surface, 10.1016/j.pss.2009.05.006
  17. Fulchignoni M., Ferri F., Angrilli F., Ball A. J., Bar-Nun A., Barucci M. A., Bettanini C., Bianchini G., Borucki W., Colombatti G., Coradini M., Coustenis A., Debei S., Falkner P., Fanti G., Flamini E., Gaborit V., Grard R., Hamelin M., Harri A. M., Hathi B., Jernej I., Leese M. R., Lehto A., Lion Stoppato P. F., López-Moreno J. J., Mäkinen T., McDonnell J. A. M., McKay C. P., Molina-Cuberos G., Neubauer F. M., Pirronello V., Rodrigo R., Saggin B., Schwingenschuh K., Seiff A., Simões F., Svedhem H., Tokano T., Towner M. C., Trautner R., Withers P., Zarnecki J. C., In situ measurements of the physical characteristics of Titan's environment, 10.1038/nature04314
  18. Geuzaine Christophe, Remacle Jean-François, Gmsh: A 3-D finite element mesh generator with built-in pre- and post-processing facilities, 10.1002/nme.2579
  19. Glein Christopher R., Shock Everett L., A geochemical model of non-ideal solutions in the methane–ethane–propane–nitrogen–acetylene system on Titan, 10.1016/j.gca.2013.03.030
  20. Hamblin P. F., On the free surface oscillations of Lake Ontario : Oscillations of Lake Ontario, 10.4319/lo.1982.27.6.1039
  21. HANEL R., CONRATH B., FLASAR F. M., KUNDE V., MAGUIRE W., PEARL J., PIRRAGLIA J., SAMUELSON R., HERATH L., ALLISON M., CRUIKSHANK D., GAUTIER D., GIERASCH P., HORN L., KOPPANY R., PONNAMPERUMA C., Infrared Observations of the Saturnian System from Voyager 1, 10.1126/science.212.4491.192
  22. Hayes AG (2016) The lakes and seas of Titan. Ann Rev Earth Planet Sci:44. doi: 10.1146/annurev-earth-060115-012247
  23. Hayes A., Aharonson O., Callahan P., Elachi C., Gim Y., Kirk R., Lewis K., Lopes R., Lorenz R., Lunine J., Mitchell K., Mitri G., Stofan E., Wall S., Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan: Distribution and interaction with a porous regolith, 10.1029/2008gl033409
  24. Hayes A. G., Wolf A. S., Aharonson O., Zebker H., Lorenz R., Kirk R. L., Paillou P., Lunine J., Wye L., Callahan P., Wall S., Elachi C., Bathymetry and absorptivity of Titan's Ontario Lacus, 10.1029/2009je003557
  25. Hayes A.G., Aharonson O., Lunine J.I., Kirk R.L., Zebker H.A., Wye L.C., Lorenz R.D., Turtle E.P., Paillou P., Mitri G., Wall S.D., Stofan E.R., Mitchell K.L., Elachi C., Transient surface liquid in Titan’s polar regions from Cassini, 10.1016/j.icarus.2010.08.017
  26. Hayes AG, Michaelides RJ, Turtle EP, Barnes JW, Soderblom JM, Masrtogiuseppe M, Lorenz RD, Kirk RL, Lunine JI (2014) The distribution and volume of Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes and seas. In: Lunar and planetary institute science conference abstracts, vol 45, p 2341
  27. Howarth MJ (2005) Hydrography of the Irish sea Sea6 technical report. Department of Trade and Industry offshore energy Strategic Assessment programme, UK
  28. Iess L., Jacobson R. A., Ducci M., Stevenson D. J., Lunine J. I., Armstrong J. W., Asmar S. W., Racioppa P., Rappaport N. J., Tortora P., The Tides of Titan, 10.1126/science.1219631
  29. Jennings D. E., Flasar F. M., Kunde V. G., Samuelson R. E., Pearl J. C., Nixon C. A., Carlson R. C., Mamoutkine A. A., Brasunas J. C., Guandique E., Achterberg R. K., Bjoraker G. L., Romani P. N., Segura M. E., Albright S. A., Elliott M. H., Tingley J. S., Calcutt S., Coustenis A., Courtin R., TITAN'S SURFACE BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURES, 10.1088/0004-637x/691/2/l103
  30. Jennings D. E., Cottini V., Nixon C. A., Flasar F. M., Kunde V. G., Samuelson R. E., Romani P. N., Hesman B. E., Carlson R. C., Gorius N. J. P., Coustenis A., Tokano T., SEASONAL CHANGES IN TITAN'S SURFACE TEMPERATURES, 10.1088/2041-8205/737/1/l15
  31. Kärnä Tuomas, de Brye Benjamin, Gourgue Olivier, Lambrechts Jonathan, Comblen Richard, Legat Vincent, Deleersnijder Eric, A fully implicit wetting–drying method for DG-FEM shallow water models, with an application to the Scheldt Estuary, 10.1016/j.cma.2010.07.001
  32. Lambrechts Jonathan, Comblen Richard, Legat Vincent, Geuzaine Christophe, Remacle Jean-François, Multiscale mesh generation on the sphere, 10.1007/s10236-008-0148-3
  33. Lambrechts Jonathan, Hanert Emmanuel, Deleersnijder Eric, Bernard Paul-Emile, Legat Vincent, Remacle Jean-François, Wolanski Eric, A multi-scale model of the hydrodynamics of the whole Great Barrier Reef, 10.1016/j.ecss.2008.03.016
  34. Lebonnois Sébastien, Burgalat Jérémie, Rannou Pascal, Charnay Benjamin, Titan global climate model: A new 3-dimensional version of the IPSL Titan GCM, 10.1016/j.icarus.2011.11.032
  35. Legrand Sébastien, Deleersnijder Eric, Hanert Emmanuel, Legat Vincent, Wolanski Eric, High-resolution, unstructured meshes for hydrodynamic models of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 10.1016/j.ecss.2005.08.017
  36. Cornet T., Bourgeois O., Le Mouélic S., Rodriguez S., Lopez Gonzalez T., Sotin C., Tobie G., Fleurant C., Barnes J.W., Brown R.H., Baines K.H., Buratti B.J., Clark R.N., Nicholson P.D., Geomorphological significance of Ontario Lacus on Titan: Integrated interpretation of Cassini VIMS, ISS and RADAR data and comparison with the Etosha Pan (Namibia), 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.01.013
  37. Lorenz RD, Lunine JL, Neish CD (2011) Cyanide soap? Dissolved materials in Titan’s seas. EPSC-DPS2011 6:488
  38. Lorenz RD (2013) Oceanography on Saturn’s moon, Titan. In: Oceans-san diego, 2013. IEEE, pp 1–7
  39. Lorenz Ralph D., Newman Claire, Lunine Jonathan I., Threshold of wave generation on Titan’s lakes and seas: Effect of viscosity and implications for Cassini observations, 10.1016/j.icarus.2009.12.004
  40. Lorenz Ralph D., Tokano Tetsuya, Newman Claire E., Winds and tides of Ligeia Mare, with application to the drift of the proposed time TiME (Titan Mare Explorer) capsule, 10.1016/j.pss.2010.12.009
  41. Lorenz Ralph D., Kirk Randolph L., Hayes Alexander G., Anderson Yanhua Z., Lunine Jonathan I., Tokano Tetsuya, Turtle Elizabeth P., Malaska Michael J., Soderblom Jason M., Lucas Antoine, Karatekin Özgür, Wall Stephen D., A radar map of Titan Seas: Tidal dissipation and ocean mixing through the throat of Kraken, 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.04.005
  42. Lunine JI, Hayes A, Aharonson O, Mitri G, Lorenz R, Stofan E, Wall S, Elachi C, Cassini Radar Team et al (2009) Evidence for liquid in Ontario Lacus (Titan) from Cassini-observed changes. In: AAS/Division for planetary sciences meeting abstracts# 41 , vol 41
  43. Luspay-Kuti A., Chevrier V.F., Cordier D., Rivera-Valentin E.G., Singh S., Wagner A., Wasiak F.C., Experimental constraints on the composition and dynamics of Titan's polar lakes, 10.1016/j.epsl.2014.11.023
  44. Mastrogiuseppe Marco, Poggiali Valerio, Hayes Alexander, Lorenz Ralph, Lunine Jonathan, Picardi Giovanni, Seu Roberto, Flamini Enrico, Mitri Giuseppe, Notarnicola Claudia, Paillou Philippe, Zebker Howard, The bathymetry of a Titan sea : Mastrogiuseppe et al.: The Bathymetry of a Titan Sea, 10.1002/2013gl058618
  45. McEwen A, Turtle E, Perry J, Dawson D, Fussner S, Collins G, Porco C, Johnson T, Soderblom L (2005) Mapping and monitoring the surface of Titan Bulletin of the american astronomical society, vol 37, p 739
  46. Mitchell Karl L., Barmatz Martin B., Jamieson Corey S., Lorenz Ralph D., Lunine Jonathan I., Laboratory measurements of cryogenic liquid alkane microwave absorptivity and implications for the composition of Ligeia Mare, Titan : Microwave absorptivity of Titan liquids, 10.1002/2014gl059475
  47. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2014) Do the Great Lakes have tides. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gltides.html , accessed: 2015-08-21
  48. Niemann H. B., Atreya S. K., Bauer S. J., Carignan G. R., Demick J. E., Frost R. L., Gautier D., Haberman J. A., Harpold D. N., Hunten D. M., Israel G., Lunine J. I., Kasprzak W. T., Owen T. C., Paulkovich M., Raulin F., Raaen E., Way S. H., The abundances of constituents of Titan's atmosphere from the GCMS instrument on the Huygens probe, 10.1038/nature04122
  49. Otto L., Zimmerman J.T.F., Furnes G.K., Mork M., Saetre R., Becker G., Review of the physical oceanography of the North Sea, 10.1016/0077-7579(90)90091-t
  50. Porco Carolyn C., West Robert A., Squyres Steven, Mcewen Alfred, Thomas Peter, Murray Carl D., Delgenio Anthony, Ingersoll Andrew P., Johnson Torrence V., Neukum Gerhard, Veverka Joseph, Dones Luke, Brahic Andre, Burns Joseph A., Haemmerle Vance, Knowles Benjamin, Dawson Douglas, Roatsch Thomas, Beurle Kevin, Owen William, Cassini Imaging Science: Instrument Characteristics And Anticipated Scientific Investigations At Saturn, 10.1007/s11214-004-1456-7
  51. Sagan Carl, Dermott Stanley F., The tide in the seas of Titan, 10.1038/300731a0
  52. Samuelson R. E., Hanel R. A., Kunde V. G., Maguire W. C., Mean molecular weight and hydrogen abundance of Titan's atmosphere, 10.1038/292688a0
  53. Schneider T., Graves S. D. B., Schaller E. L., Brown M. E., Polar methane accumulation and rainstorms on Titan from simulations of the methane cycle, 10.1038/nature10666
  54. Sears W, Tidal Dissipation in Oceans on Titan, 10.1006/icar.1995.1004
  55. Seny B., Lambrechts J., Comblen R., Legat V., Remacle J.-F., Multirate time stepping for accelerating explicit discontinuous Galerkin computations with application to geophysical flows : MULTIRATE FOR ACCELERATING DISCONTINUOUS GALERKIN COMPUTATIONS, 10.1002/fld.3646
  56. SMAGORINSKY J., GENERAL CIRCULATION EXPERIMENTS WITH THE PRIMITIVE EQUATIONS : I. THE BASIC EXPERIMENT*, 10.1175/1520-0493(1963)091<0099:gcewtp>2.3.co;2
  57. Sohl F, Tidal Dissipation on Titan, 10.1006/icar.1995.1097
  58. Sohl F., Hussmann H., Schwentker B., Spohn T., Lorenz R. D., Interior structure models and tidal Love numbers of Titan : STRUCTURE AND LOVE NUMBERS OF TITAN, 10.1029/2003je002044
  59. Stofan E. R., Elachi C., Lunine J. I., Lorenz R. D., Stiles B., Mitchell K. L., Ostro S., Soderblom L., Wood C., Zebker H., Wall S., Janssen M., Kirk R., Lopes R., Paganelli F., Radebaugh J., Wye L., Anderson Y., Allison M., Boehmer R., Callahan P., Encrenaz P., Flamini E., Francescetti G., Gim Y., Hamilton G., Hensley S., Johnson W. T. K., Kelleher K., Muhleman D., Paillou P., Picardi G., Posa F., Roth L., Seu R., Shaffer S., Vetrella S., West R., The lakes of Titan, 10.1038/nature05438
  60. Tan Sugata P., Kargel Jeffrey S., Marion Giles M., Titan’s atmosphere and surface liquid: New calculation using Statistical Associating Fluid Theory, 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.10.032
  61. Tan Sugata P., Kargel Jeffrey S., Jennings Donald E., Mastrogiuseppe Marco, Adidharma Hertanto, Marion Giles M., Titan’s liquids: Exotic behavior and its implications on global fluid circulation, 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.11.029
  62. Tokano Tetsuya, Dune-forming winds on Titan and the influence of topography, 10.1016/j.icarus.2007.10.007
  63. Tokano Tetsuya, Impact of seas/lakes on polar meteorology of Titan: Simulation by a coupled GCM-Sea model, 10.1016/j.icarus.2009.07.032
  64. Tokano Tetsuya, Simulation of tides in hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan, 10.1007/s10236-010-0285-3
  65. Tokano Tetsuya, Lorenz Ralph D., Wind-driven circulation in Titan's seas : TOKANO AND LORENZ, 10.1002/2014je004751
  66. Tokano Tetsuya, Lorenz Ralph D., Van Hoolst Tim, Numerical simulation of tides and oceanic angular momentum of Titan’s hydrocarbon seas, 10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.021
  67. Turtle E.P., Perry J.E., Hayes A.G., McEwen A.S., Shoreline retreat at Titan’s Ontario Lacus and Arrakis Planitia from Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem observations, 10.1016/j.icarus.2011.02.005
  68. Tyler Robert H., Strong ocean tidal flow and heating on moons of the outer planets, 10.1038/nature07571
  69. Ventura Bartolomeo, Notarnicola Claudia, Casarano Domenico, Posa Francesco, Hayes Alexander G., Wye Lauren, Electromagnetic models and inversion techniques for Titan’s Ontario Lacus depth estimation from Cassini RADAR data, 10.1016/j.icarus.2012.09.011
  70. Volkov VA, Johannessen OM, Borodachev VE, Voinov GN, Pettersson LH, Bobylev LP, Kouraev AV (2002) Polar seas oceanography: an integrated case study of the Kara Sea. Springer Science & Business Media
  71. Wall S., Hayes A., Bristow C., Lorenz R., Stofan E., Lunine J., Le Gall A., Janssen M., Lopes R., Wye L., Soderblom L., Paillou P., Aharonson O., Zebker H., Farr T., Mitri G., Kirk R., Mitchell K., Notarnicola C., Casarano D., Ventura B., Active shoreline of Ontario Lacus, Titan: A morphological study of the lake and its surroundings : SHORELINE OF ONTARIO LACUS, 10.1029/2009gl041821
Bibliographic reference Vincent, David ; Karatekin, Ozgür ; Vallaeys, Valentin ; Hayes, Alexander ; Mastrogiuseppe, Marco ; et. al. Numerical study of tides in Ontario Lacus, a hydrocarbon lake on the surface of the Saturnian moon Titan. In: Ocean Dynamics, Vol. 66, no. 4, p. 461-482 (April 2016)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/172944