Search Publications

The drying of Titan's dunes: Titan's methane hydrology and its impact on atmospheric circulation

Mitchell, Jonathan L.

We explore the effect of a finite reservoir of methane on Titan's atmospheric circulation, precipitation patterns, and surface methane content. We develop a soil model that accounts for the methane cycle in the surface-atmosphere system, and we implement this surface model in a two-dimensional model of the Titan's atmosphere. Seasonal oscillations…

Predictions of the electrical conductivity and charging of the cloud particles in Jupiter's atmosphere

O'Brien, K.; Whitten, R. C.; Borucki, W. J. +1 more

The electrical conductivity and electrical charge on cloud particles (composed of ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide, and water) in the atmosphere of Jupiter are computed for pressures between 5.5 and 0.1 bars. The source of ionization is galactic cosmic rays (GCR). The distribution of charge among the various reservoirs is a function of altitude and …