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ESA's 'shipping forecast' - from Titan!
April 02, 2004ESA could be releasing its own marine weather report next January - but not for any Earthly ocean. Thanks to the NASA/ESA Cassini/Huygens mission, the first data about an extraterrestrial ocean may finally be received, ending 25 years of scientific speculation.
There is a growing body of evidence that at least part of Titan's surface is covered with liquid methane and a related chemical, ethane. On Earth, methane is a gas but at the colder temperatures of Titan, around -180 °C, it could exist as a liquid or be frozen solid into ice. If it is a liquid, it could exist as lakes in craters or even as vast oceans.
Recent radar observations suggest that up to seventy-five percent of the surface may be covered in liquid. In that case, it is highly likely that after its descent through Titan's atmosphere, the Huygens probe will not so much land as 'splashdown'.
To understand what to expect if this happens, the Principal Investigator of the Huygens Surface Science Package, John Zarnecki of the UK's Open University, has teamed up with Nadeem Ghafoor, Surrey Satellite Technology, and colleagues from the Southampton Oceanography Centre.
Together, the team used a computer model to predict the behaviour of the ocean on Titan. They looked at the waves they might encounter. On Earth, wind drives the waves. By placing Titan's characteristics into their computer program, the team discovered that Titan's waves will be slow-motion giants, reaching some seven times the height of a typical wave on Earth. Their height is mostly generated because Titan's gravitational strength is only one seventh that of Earth.
If Huygens does land on an ocean, the Surface Science Package will attempt to measure its composition, and depth using sonar. It will also record the frequency and height of any waves that pass.
Extreme sports fans might find surfing on these waves a wild ride, according to Nadeem Ghafoor, because the waves would look seven times bigger but move three times more slowly than those on Earth.
Of course, the sea would be 180 degrees below zero and it would not smell very good either. The surroundings would be a murky orange-brown because of the permanently overcast conditions and there might be the occasional iceberg to dodge near the shore!
In short, Titan could be like nothing like we have seen before and Cassini/Huygens is due to reveal all on 14 January 2005.
European Space Agency (ESA)
Together, the team used a computer model to predict the behaviour of the ocean on Titan. They looked at the waves they might encounter. On Earth, wind drives the waves. By placing Titan's characteristics into their computer program, the team discovered that Titan's waves will be slow-motion giants, reaching some seven times the height of a typical wave on Earth. Their height is mostly generated because Titan's gravitational strength is only one seventh that of Earth.
If Huygens does land on an ocean, the Surface Science Package will attempt to measure its composition, and depth using sonar. It will also record the frequency and height of any waves that pass.
Extreme sports fans might find surfing on these waves a wild ride, according to Nadeem Ghafoor, because the waves would look seven times bigger but move three times more slowly than those on Earth.
Of course, the sea would be 180 degrees below zero and it would not smell very good either. The surroundings would be a murky orange-brown because of the permanently overcast conditions and there might be the occasional iceberg to dodge near the shore!
In short, Titan could be like nothing like we have seen before and Cassini/Huygens is due to reveal all on 14 January 2005.
European Space Agency (ESA)
Methane Current Events and Methane News RSSBeyond sunlight: Explorers census 17,650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss
Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight - creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves.
Energy-saving powder
It is currently estimated that natural gas resources will be exhausted in 130 years; however, those reserves where extraction is cost-effective will only flow for another 60 years or so.
Health care accounts for 8 percent of US carbon footprint
The American health care sector accounts for nearly a tenth of the country's carbon dioxide emissions, according to a first-of-its-kind calculation of health care's carbon footprint.
Interactions with aerosols boost warming potential of some gases
For decades, climate scientists have worked to identify and measure key substances -- notably greenhouse gases and aerosol particles -- that affect Earth's climate.
Report examines hidden costs of energy production and use
A new report from the National Research Council examines and, when possible, estimates "hidden" costs of energy production and use -- such as the damage air pollution imposes on human health -- that are not reflected in market prices of coal, oil, other energy sources, or the electricity and gasoline produced from them.
Caltech researchers reveal unexpected sources of nitrogen fixation
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have identified an unexpected metabolic ability within a symbiotic community of microorganisms that may help solve a lingering mystery about the world's nitrogen-cycling budget.
Arctic land and seas account for up to 25 percent of world's carbon sink
In a new study in the journal Ecological Monographs, ecologists estimate that Arctic lands and oceans are responsible for up to 25 percent of the global net sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Coal-mining hazard resembles explosive volcanic eruption, study shows
Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more than 150 years, the precise mechanism is still unknown.
Mystery Solved: Marine Microbe Is Source of Rare Nutrient
A new study of microscopic marine microbes, called phytoplankton, by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of South Carolina has solved a ten-year-old mystery about the source of an essential nutrient in the ocean.
Denver to Barcelona: Global cities and greenhouse gas emissions
Denver released the largest amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) and Barcelona the smallest amount in a new study documenting how differences in climate, population density and other factors affect GHG emissions in global cities.
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Methane Generation from Human, Animal, and Agricultural Wastes by National Academy of Sciences (Author) This book deals with the need for alternative energy supplies. Our fossil fuel reserves will eventually be exhausted. Moreover, these reserves are unequally distributed and are becoming too costly for many countries that must purchase them. In addition, the cost of transportation may sharply limit the use of fossil fuels in the rural areas of many developing countries. And, as recent events have shown, the cost – and the availability – of these fuels is determined less by market forces than by the decision of the producing nations. This report is devoted to the development of an alternative energy resource suitable for individual or village use in a rural environment. An ideal resource is one that is local in origin and can produce energy useful for this purpose depending only... |
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History -- Mega Disasters: Methane Explosion Also With: Creative Differences (Producer) The greatest mass extinction in Earth's history was caused by a gigantic eruption of methane gas from deep in the oceans 250 million years ago. That's the theory of a Northwestern University scientist, who says similar, if smaller, disasters have occurred This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. |
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Cud Chewing Cows - Volume One - "Udderly Content" (Special Edition) [CD on Demand] by Cud Chewing Cows Somewhere on Earth, where Classical Music, Jazz, Blues, Rock and Folk meet in the middle of some universal musical nexus to combine and fuse to create a unique sound, there's a group that has taken shape in the form of Cud Chewing Cows. Bovine Bob is a classically trained musician with a down-home flair for feel-good-music. When Bo, as his friends call him, met Jim Jersey, they decided to make a band which became complete with the arrivals of Harry Hereford, Henry Holstein and Big Bobby Brown-Swiss collectively known as the Cud Chewing Cows (3C or CCC). The music's Jazz and Blues influences, blended with instruments from around the world, creates a Rock-Folk blend which exudes happiness and contentment. 3C (or CCC), has recently gained notoriety and has become a spiritual... |
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Methane (Lateral View) T-shirt by SHOPZEUS Our standard t-shirts are made of 100% cotton and preshrunk (ultra cotton heavyweight). We typically use Gildan Activewear but at times may substitute with other brand name t-shirts. We carry thousands of t-shirts with sayings. To view additional t-shirts please visit our storefront on Amazon (Shopzeus.com) and search for t-shirt. |
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