Modelling waves on Huygens' moon

Titan presents us with the only example of sizable and stable bodies of liquid on the surface of a planet or moon outside of earth, and as such provides a unique object of study for exo-planet ocean studies.

Titan seas, such as the Kraken and Ligeia Mare basins, were mapped and studied remotely by the Cassini space probe. Although the surfaces of these cryogenic seas were found to be rather flat, transient radar reflection features and diffuse specular reflections are interpreted as evidence for the presence of surface waves on the liquid-atmosphere interface. These waves provide a window on the surface conditions on Titan and on the properties of the methane-ethane liquid.

Here, we examine the formation and propagation of wind driven surface waves, revisiting this problem with a 4D spectral solver for the propagation of surface waves, and apply it to the Kraken and Ligeia Mare basins.

Poster presented at the EGU General Assembly 2019.