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2665764 
Journal Article 
The bathymetry of a Titan sea 
Mastrogiuseppe, M; Poggiali, V; Hayes, A; Lorenz, R; Lunine, J; Picardi, G; Seu, R; Flamini, E; Mitri, G; Notarnicola, C; Paillou, P; Zebker, H 
2014 
Yes 
Geophysical Research Letters
ISSN: 0094-8276
EISSN: 1944-8007 
41 
5 
1432-1437 
WOS:000333578800012 
We construct the depth profilethe bathymetryof Titan's large sea Ligeia Mare from Cassini RADAR data collected during the 23 May 2013 (T91) nadir-looking altimetry flyby. We find the greatest depth to be about 160m and a seabed slope that is gentler toward the northern shore, consistent with previously imaged shoreline morphologies. Low radio signal attenuation through the sea demonstrates that the liquid, for which we determine a loss tangent of 3110(-5), is remarkably transparent, requiring a nearly pure methane-ethane composition, and further that microwave absorbing hydrocarbons, nitriles, and suspended particles be limited to less than the order of 0.1% of the liquid volume. Presence of nitrogen in the ethane-methane sea, expected based on its solubility and dominance in the atmosphere, is consistent with the low attenuation, but that of substantial dissolved polar species or suspended scatterers is not.



Key Points



<list list-type="bulleted" id="grl51441-list-0001"> <list-item id="grl51441-li-0001">First direct measurement of the depth of a Titan sea <list-item id="grl51441-li-0002">First determination of the nearly pure methane-ethane Ligeia Mare composition <list-item id="grl51441-li-0003">Determination of the total volume of Ligeia Mare 
Planetary Sciences; Solar System Objects; Titan; Hydrology; Remote sensing; Cassini