Paper detail

Stratification Dynamics of Titan's Lakes via Methane Evaporation

Saturn&#39;s moon Titan is the only extraterrestrial body known to host stable lakes and a hydrological cycle. Titan&#39;s lakes predominantly contain liquid methane, ethane, and nitrogen, with methane evaporation driving its hydrological cycle. Molecular interactions between these three species lead to non-ideal behavior that causes Titan&#39;s lakes to behave differently than Earth&#39;s lakes. Here, we numerically investigate how methane evaporation and non-ideal interactions affect the physical properties, structure, dynamics, and evolution of shallow lakes on Titan. We find that, under certain temperature regimes, methane-rich mixtures are denser than relatively ethane-rich mixtures. This allows methane evaporation to stratify Titan&#39;s lakes into ethane-rich upper layers and methane-rich lower layers, separated by a strong compositional gradient. At temperatures above 86K, lakes remain well-mixed and unstratified. Between 84 and 86K, lakes can stratify episodically. Below 84K, lakes permanently stratify, and develop very methane-depleted epilimnia. Despite small seasonal and diurnal deviations (<5K) from typical surface temperatures, Titan&#39;s rain-filled ephemeral lakes and &#34;phantom lakes&#34; may nevertheless experience significantly larger temperature fluctuations, resulting in polymictic or even meromictic stratification, which may trigger ethane ice precipitation.