Possible tropical lakes on Titan from observations of dark terrain

Titan has clouds, rain and lakes--like Earth--but composed of methane rather than water. Unlike Earth, most of the condensable methane (the equivalent of 5?m depth globally averaged) lies in the atmosphere. Liquid detected on the surface (about 2?m deep) has been found by radar images only poleward of 50° latitude, while dune fields pervade the tropics. General circulation models explain this dichotomy, predicting that methane efficiently migrates to the poles from these lower latitudes. Here we report an analysis of near-infrared spectral images of the region between 20°?N and 20°?S latitude. The data reveal that the lowest fluxes in seven wavelength bands that probe Titan's surface occur in an oval region of about 60?×?40?km(2), which has been observed repeatedly since 2004. Radiative transfer analyses demonstrate that the resulting spectrum is consistent with a black surface, indicative of liquid methane on the surface. Enduring low-latitude lakes are best explained as supplied by subterranean sources (within the last 10,000 years), which may be responsible for Titan's methane, the continual photochemical depletion of which furnishes Titan's organic chemistry.     

The vertical profile of winds on Titan

One of Titan's most intriguing attributes is its copious but featureless atmosphere. The Voyager 1 fly-by and occultation in 1980 provided the first radial survey of Titan's atmospheric pressure and temperature and evidence for the presence of strong zonal winds. It was realized that the motion of an atmospheric probe could be used to study the winds, which led to the inclusion of the Doppler Wind Experiment on the Huygens probe. Here we report a high resolution vertical profile of Titan's winds, with an estimated accuracy of better than 1 m s(-1). The zonal winds were prograde during most of the atmospheric descent, providing in situ confirmation of superrotation on Titan. A layer with surprisingly slow wind, where the velocity decreased to near zero, was detected at altitudes between 60 and 100 km. Generally weak winds (approximately 1 m s(-1)) were seen in the lowest 5 km of descent.     

The sequestration of ethane on Titan in smog particles

Saturn's largest satellite, Titan, has a dense atmosphere of nitrogen with a few per cent of methane. At visible wavelengths its surface is hidden by dense orange-brown smog, which is produced in the stratosphere by photochemical reactions following the dissociation of methane by solar ultraviolet light. The most abundant of the products of these reactions is ethane, and enough of it should have been generated over the life of the Solar System to form a satellite-wide ocean one kilometre deep. Radar observations have found specular reflections in 75 per cent of the surface spots observed, but optical searches for a sun-glint off an ocean have been negative. Here I explain the mysterious absence or rarity of liquid ethane: it condenses onto the smog particles, instead of into liquid drops, at the cold temperatures in Titan's atmosphere. This dusty combination of smog and ethane, forming deposits several kilometres thick on the surface, including the observed dunes and dark areas, could be named 'smust'. This satellite-wide deposit replaces the ocean long thought to be an important feature of Titan.     

Methane drizzle on Titan

Saturn's moon Titan shows landscapes with fluvial features suggestive of hydrology based on liquid methane. Recent efforts in understanding Titan's methane hydrological cycle have focused on occasional cloud outbursts near the south pole or cloud streaks at southern mid-latitudes and the mechanisms of their formation. It is not known, however, if the clouds produce rain or if there are also non-convective clouds, as predicted by several models. Here we show that the in situ data on the methane concentration and temperature profile in Titan's troposphere point to the presence of layered optically thin stratiform clouds. The data indicate an upper methane ice cloud and a lower, barely visible, liquid methane-nitrogen cloud, with a gap in between. The lower, liquid, cloud produces drizzle that reaches the surface. These non-convective methane clouds are quasi-permanent features supported by the global atmospheric circulation, indicating that methane precipitation occurs wherever there is slow upward motion. This drizzle is a persistent component of Titan's methane hydrological cycle and, by wetting the surface on a global scale, plays an active role in the surface geology of Titan.     

积极打造中国食品业的"航母"

发达国家正在凭借其众多的跨国公司如火如荼地进行着国际化经营，我国食品业必须尽快适应这一新形势，在更大范围、更广领域和更高层次上参与国际经济技术合作和竞争，要积极发展中国食品业大企业。     

Methane storms on Saturn's moon Titan

The presence of dry fluvial river channels and the intense cloud activity in the south pole of Titan over the past few years suggest the presence of methane rain. The nitrogen atmosphere of Titan therefore appears to support a methane meteorological cycle that sculptures the surface and controls its properties. Titan and Earth are the only worlds in the Solar System where rain reaches the surface, although the atmospheric cycles of water and methane are expected to be very different. Here we report three-dimensional dynamical calculations showing that severe methane convective storms accompanied by intense precipitation may occur in Titan under the right environmental conditions. The strongest storms grow when the methane relative humidity in the middle troposphere is above 80 per cent, producing updrafts with maximum velocities of 20 m s(-1), able to reach altitudes of 30 km before dissipating in 5-8 h. Raindrops of 1-5 mm in radius produce precipitation rainfalls on the surface as high as 110 kg m(-2) and are comparable to flash flood events on Earth.     

Imaging of Titan from the Cassini spacecraft

Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is the only satellite in the Solar System with a substantial atmosphere. The atmosphere is poorly understood and obscures the surface, leading to intense speculation about Titan's nature. Here we present observations of Titan from the imaging science experiment onboard the Cassini spacecraft that address some of these issues. The images reveal intricate surface albedo features that suggest aeolian, tectonic and fluvial processes; they also show a few circular features that could be impact structures. These observations imply that substantial surface modification has occurred over Titan's history. We have not directly detected liquids on the surface to date. Convective clouds are found to be common near the south pole, and the motion of mid-latitude clouds consistently indicates eastward winds, from which we infer that the troposphere is rotating faster than the surface. A detached haze at an altitude of 500 km is 150-200 km higher than that observed by Voyager, and more tenuous haze layers are also resolved.     

松嫩平原湖泊综合分类研究

指出了松嫩平原的湖泊具有面积小、湖盆浅、密度大、类型多等特点,根据“成因－水量－水质”三要素的综合分类方案,运用三要素的三个主导指标和三个辅助指标,建立了松嫩平原湖泊的综合分类系统,对松嫩湖泊群进行了简明的类型划分。     

松嫩平原湖泊类型组合的区域分异

松嫩平原湖泊群是我国亚湿润地区的一个低平原湖泊群,根据湖泊分布的连续性,湖泊群的环境特征及湖泊主导类型与类型组合的区域分异,将松嫩平原湖泊群划分为６个亚区,并对各亚区的湖泊特征做了论述。     

Episodic outgassing as the origin of atmospheric methane on Titan

Saturn's largest satellite, Titan, has a massive nitrogen atmosphere containing up to 5 per cent methane near its surface. Photochemistry in the stratosphere would remove the present-day atmospheric methane in a few tens of millions of years. Before the Cassini-Huygens mission arrived at Saturn, widespread liquid methane or mixed hydrocarbon seas hundreds of metres in thickness were proposed as reservoirs from which methane could be resupplied to the atmosphere over geologic time. Titan fly-by observations and ground-based observations rule out the presence of extensive bodies of liquid hydrocarbons at present, which means that methane must be derived from another source over Titan's history. Here we show that episodic outgassing of methane stored as clathrate hydrates within an icy shell above an ammonia-enriched water ocean is the most likely explanation for Titan's atmospheric methane. The other possible explanations all fail because they cannot explain the absence of surface liquid reservoirs and/or the low dissipative state of the interior. On the basis of our models, we predict that future fly-bys should reveal the existence of both a subsurface water ocean and a rocky core, and should detect more cryovolcanic edifices.     

Titan Radar Mapper observations from Cassini's T3 fly-by

Cassini's Titan Radar Mapper imaged the surface of Saturn's moon Titan on its February 2005 fly-by (denoted T3), collecting high-resolution synthetic-aperture radar and larger-scale radiometry and scatterometry data. These data provide the first definitive identification of impact craters on the surface of Titan, networks of fluvial channels and surficial dark streaks that may be longitudinal dunes. Here we describe this great diversity of landforms. We conclude that much of the surface thus far imaged by radar of the haze-shrouded Titan is very young, with persistent geologic activity.     

Phosphate concentrations in lakes

Phosphate is an important nutrient that restricts microbial production in many freshwater and marine environments. The actual concentration of phosphate in phosphorus-limited waters is largely unknown because commonly used chemical and radiochemical techniques overestimate the concentration. Here, using a new steady-state radiobioassay to survey a diverse set of lakes, we report phosphate concentrations in lakes that are orders of magnitude lower than estimates made spectrophotometrically or with the frequently used Rigler radiobioassay. Our results, combined with those from the literature, indicate that microbes can achieve rapid turnover rates at picomolar nutrient concentrations. This occurs even though these concentrations are about two orders of magnitude below the level where phosphate uptake is estimated to be half the saturation level for the pico-plankton community. Also, while phosphate concentration increased with the concentration of total phosphorus and soluble reactive phosphorus in the lakes we sampled, the proportion of phosphate in the total phosphorus pool decreased from oligotrophic to eutrophic lakes. Such information, as revealed by the phosphate assay that we use here, should allow us to address hypotheses concerning the concentration of phosphate available to planktonic microorganisms in aquatic systems.     

High-temperature shock formation of N2 and organics on primordial Titan

Titan's atmosphere is composed primarily of N2 with a little methane and other organic molecules. But theoretical models suggest that the initial form of nitrogen in Titan's atmosphere may have been NH3. We have investigated the possible importance of strong shocks produced during high-velocity impacts accompanying the late states of accretion as a method for converting NH3 to N2. To simulate the effects of an impact in Titan's atmosphere we have used the focused beam of a high-power laser, a method that has been shown to simulate shock phenomena. For mixtures of 10%, 50% and 90% NH3 (balance CH4) we obtained yields of 0.25, 1, and 6 x 10(17) molecules of N2 per joule, respectively. We also find that the yield of HCN is comparable to that for N2. In addition, several other hydrocarbons are produced, many with yields in excess of theoretical high-temperature-equilibrium models. The above yields, when combined with models of the satellite's accretion, result in a total N2 production comparable to that present in Titan's atmosphere and putative ocean.     

武汉市主城区湖泊发展的历史演变、问题及保护建议

武汉市江河纵横，湖泊众多，具有得天独厚的自然条件．在分析武汉市湖泊(特别是武汉市主城区湖泊)的历史演变发展中存在的关键问题的基础上，提出了武汉市主城区湖泊的保护对策及其发展建议，以期对类似城市的湖泊水系的保护工作有所借鉴．