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Polar methane accumulation and rainstorms on Titan from simulations of the methane cycle

Brown, M. E.; Schaller, E. L.; Schneider, T. +1 more

Titan has a methane cycle akin to Earth's water cycle. It has lakes in polar regions, preferentially in the north; dry low latitudes with fluvial features and occasional rainstorms; and tropospheric clouds mainly (so far) in southern middle latitudes and polar regions. Previous models have explained the low-latitude dryness as a result of atmosphe…

Active upper-atmosphere chemistry and dynamics from polar circulation reversal on Titan

Vinatier, Sandrine; Nixon, Conor A.; Irwin, Patrick G. J. +6 more

Saturn's moon Titan has a nitrogen atmosphere comparable to Earth's, with a surface pressure of 1.4 bar. Numerical models reproduce the tropospheric conditions very well but have trouble explaining the observed middle-atmosphere temperatures, composition and winds. The top of the middle-atmosphere circulation has been thought to lie at an altitude…