Seminar

The Resolving Orbital and Climate Keys of Earth and Extraterrestrial Environments with Dynamics (ROCKE-3D) is a General Circulation Model adapted from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE2, which expands upon the base model to include the possibility of modeling extraterrestrial bodies such as Saturn’s moon Titan. Previous models of Titan have focused on 1D or 2D radiative-convection or photochemical models and have neglected large scale spatial distributions. Titan’s dunes contain many organic compounds conducive to early life and may be used to understand Titan’s complex methane-based hydrological system. Equatorial dune formation on Titan is currently poorly understood and few GCM models have successfully explained the conditions required to match observations. ROCKE-3D provides support in validating the Tokano et. al. 2008 model hypothesis of equatorial equinoctial gusts using a combination of wind statistics, including drift potential and resultant drift direction. This study expands upon previous models in the application of topography and surface roughness heterogeneity using backscattering model approximations as a function of sand sea region and interdune fraction. The ROCKE-3D Titan GCM may be used to advise future missions in locations of interest and as an analogue to early Earth and origins of life studies.

Additional information: Mr. Maxwell COLLINS, maxqc@connect.hku.hk