Kraken Mare bathymetry and composition from Cassini RADAR

Marco Mastrogiuseppe1,2, Alexander G Hayes Jr3, Alice Anne Le Gall4, Domenico Casarano5, Jason Daniel Hofgartner6, Ralph D Lorenz7, Jonathan I Lunine8, Caludia Notarnicola9, Valerio Poggiali10, Ozgur Karatekin11, Roberto Seu2 and Cassini RADAR Science Team, (1)Link Campus University, Rome, Italy, (2)Sapienza University of Rome, DIET, Rome, Italy, (3)Cornell University, Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Ithaca, United States, (4)LATMOS Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Guyancourt, France, (5)CNR-IRPI National Research Council, Bari, Italy, (6)Southwest Research Institute Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (7)PHYSICS DEPARTMENT, 1910 UNIVERSITY DR, Laurel, United States, (8)Cornell University, Department of Astronomy, Ithaca, NY, United States, (9)eurac, Bolzano, Italy, (10)Università La Sapienza, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Rome, Italy, (11)Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
Abstract:
On August 21st, 2014, the Cassini spacecraft will perform its T104 fly-by of Titan. The T104 fly-by will present unique opportunity to sound depths of the Titan biggest sea - Kraken Mare. During closest approach, the RADAR will be pointed at nadir and collect data along a 200 km shore-to-shore track of Kraken Mare. Based on the recent May 2013 (T91) nadir observations of Ligeia Mare, which were used to construct a bathymetric profile and determined the sea’s loss tangent, we expect to detect echoes from both surface and seafloor of Kraken with the opportunity to derive the depth and composition of Titan’s largest sea. The possibility to sound the deepest points of Kraken will depend mainly on the liquids absorption, seafloor morphology and surface flatness. Regardless, however, the near-shore returns are expected to provide sea-floor echo’s above the Cassini RADAR’s noise floor. We will present the results of the T104 flyby and contrast them against the results of similar analysis for both Ligeia Mare and Ontario Lacus. When analysed together, the results from all three will help discern the role of lakes/seas in Titan’ overall hydrocarbon-based hydrologic cycle.
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