HR: 0800h
AN: P41B-14    [Abstracts]
TI: Titan's northern lakes and terrains from SAR, high-SAR and high-resolution radiometry
AU: * Paganelli, F
EM: flora.paganelli@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States
AU: Janssen, M A
EM: michael.a.janssen@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States
AU: Stiles, B
EM: Bryan.W.Stiles@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States
AU: Johnson, W T
EM: wtkjohnson@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States
AU: West, R D
EM: Richard.D.West@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099, United States
AU: Lorenz, R D
EM: Ralph.Lorenz@jhuapl.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, United States
AU: Lunine, J I
EM: jlunine@lpl.arizona.edu
AF: University of Arizona, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, 1629 E. University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85721-009, United States
AU: Radar Team, a
AB: High resolution radiometry obtained along with the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging of the latest T16, T17, T18, T19, T21, T23, T25 flybys and high-SAR T25 (SAR from approximately 20,000 km altitude) covering Titan's Northern hemisphere at latitude above 75 degree has shown evidence of hydrocarbon lakes and seas on Titan. A radiometric characterization based on calibrated data of selected lakes (with surface greater than 200 square km) and adjacent terrains is presented here by mean correlation of normalized radar cross-section (RCS) vs brightness temperature Tb and prospective models. Results show on average a 3-4 K brightness temperature increase in the lakes with respect to the surrounding terrains and seem somewhat consistent with a Kirchoff dielectric surface whose thermal emission properties are determined by Fresnel coefficients. These results seem to be consistent also with RCS incidence angle independency suggesting smooth surfaces of solid or liquid hydrocarbons (e=1.6-1.9; methane-ethane) or plains of solid non-water-ice materials (solid organics and sludge with dielectric constant of approximately 2.0). The terrains surrounding the lakes define a class more likely represented by a higher dielectric i.e. e=3.1 (water ice), in which more complex behavior is observed with respect to RCS and brightness temperature variations.
DE: 5460 Physical properties of materials
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly