The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The lakes of Titan
Abstract
The surface of Saturn's haze-shrouded moon Titan has long been proposed to have oceans or lakes, on the basis of the stability of liquid methane at the surface. Initial visible and radar imaging failed to find any evidence of an ocean, although abundant evidence was found that flowing liquids have existed on the surface. Here we provide definitive evidence for the presence of lakes on the surface of Titan, obtained during the Cassini Radar flyby of Titan on 22 July 2006 (T16). The radar imaging polewards of 70 degrees north shows more than 75 circular to irregular radar-dark patches, in a region where liquid methane and ethane are expected to be abundant and stable on the surface. The radar-dark patches are interpreted as lakes on the basis of their very low radar reflectivity and morphological similarities to lakes, including associated channels and location in topographic depressions. Some of the lakes do not completely fill the depressions in which they lie, and apparently dry depressions are present. We interpret this to indicate that lakes are present in a number of states, including partly dry and liquid-filled. These northern-hemisphere lakes constitute the strongest evidence yet that a condensable-liquid hydrological cycle is active in Titan's surface and atmosphere, in which the lakes are filled through rainfall and/or intersection with the subsurface 'liquid methane' table.
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“Additionally, the idea of methane as a potential solvent for life is gaining interest since the discovery of methane lakes on Titan (Stofan et al., 2007).”
From The Astrobiology Primer v2.0 (2016) · cites this paper as Stofan et al., 2007
Citations
Cites
Photochemistry of the atmosphere of Titan - Comparison between model and observations
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In situ measurements of the physical characteristics of Titan's environment
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Self-citationRain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface
Tomasko, M. G., Archinal, B. A., Becker, T. L., Bézard, B., Bushroe, M., Combes, M., Cook, D., Coustenis, A., de Bérgh, C., Dafoe, L. E., et al. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04126 · Cited by 603
Self-citationEpisodic outgassing as the origin of atmospheric methane on Titan
Tobie, G., Lunine, J. I., & Sotin, C. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04497 · Cited by 433
Self-citationImaging of Titan from the Cassini spacecraft
Porco, C. C., Baker, E., Barbara, J., Beurle, K., Brahic, A., Burns, J. A., Charnoz, S., Cooper, N. J., Dawson, D. D., C, A. D. D. G., et al. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03436 · Cited by 423
Self-citationLunine, J. I., Stevenson, D. J., & Yung, Y. L. (1983) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.222.4629.1229 · Cited by 367
Self-citationCassini Radar Views the Surface of Titan
Elachi, C., Wall, S., Allison, M., Anderson, Y. Z., Boehmer, R., Callahan, P. S., Encrenaz, P., Flamini, E., Franceschetti, G., Gim, Y., et al. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1109919 · Cited by 263
Self-citationCryovolcanic features on Titan's surface as revealed by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper
Lopes, R. M. C., Mitchell, K. L., STOFAN, E. R., Lunine, J. I., Lorenz, R. D., Paganelli, F., Kirk, R. L., Wood, C. A., Wall, S. D., Robshaw, L. E., et al. (2006) · Icarus · doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.09.006 · Cited by 234
Self-citationRelease of volatiles from a possible cryovolcano from near-infrared imaging of Titan
Sotin, C., Jaumann, R., Buratti, B. J., Brown, R. H., Clark, R. N., Soderblom, L. A., Baines, K. H., Bellucci, G., Bibring, J. P., Capaccioni, F., et al. (2005) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature03596 · Cited by 221
Self-citationThe Latitudinal Distribution of Clouds on Titan
Rannou, P., Montmessin, F., Hourdin, F., & Lebonnois, S. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1118424 · Cited by 216
Cited by
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Titan's atmosphere and climate
Hörst, S. M. (2017) · Journal of Geophysical Research Planets · doi:10.1002/2016je005240 · Cited by 432
The NASA Roadmap to Ocean Worlds
Hendrix, A. R., Hurford, T. A., Barge, L. M., Bland, M. T., Bowman, J. S., Brinckerhoff, W. B., Buratti, B. J., Cable, M. L., Castillo-Rogez, J. C., Collins, G. C., et al. (2018) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1955 · Cited by 338
The identification of liquid ethane in Titan’s Ontario Lacus
Brown, R. H., Soderblom, L. A., Soderblom, J. M., Clark, R. N., Ralf Jaumann, E., Barnes, J. W., Sotin, C., Buratti, B. J., Baines, K. H., & Nicholson, P. D. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature07100 · Cited by 294
Self-citationThe habitability of Proxima Centauri b
Turbet, M., Leconte, J., Selsis, F., Bolmont, É., Forget, F., Ribas, I., Raymond, S. N., & Anglada-Escudé, G. (2016) · Astronomy and Astrophysics · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629577 · Cited by 284
Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan: Distribution and interaction with a porous regolith
Hayes, A. G., Aharonson, O., Callahan, P. S., Elachi, C., Gim, Y., Kirk, R. L., Lewis, K. W., Lopes, R. M. C., Lorenz, R. D., Lunine, J. I., et al. (2008) · Geophysical Research Letters · doi:10.1029/2008gl033409 · Cited by 280
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Stofan, E. R., Elachi, C., Lunine, J. I., Lorenz, R. D., Stiles, B., Mitchell, K. L., Ostro, S., Soderblom, L., Wood, C., Zebker, H., Wall, S., Janssen, M., Kirk, R., Lopes, R., Paganelli, F., Radebaugh, J., Wye, L., Anderson, Y., Allison, M., Boehmer, R., Callahan, P., Encrenaz, P., Flamini, E., Francescetti, G., Gim, Y., Hamilton, G., Hensley, S., Johnson, W. T. K., Kelleher, K., Muhleman, D., Paillou, P., Picardi, G., Posa, F., Roth, L., Seu, R., Shaffer, S., Vetrella, S., & West, R.
- Affiliations
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- United States Geological Survey (US)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Stanford University (US)
- Goddard Institute for Space Studies (US)
- Observatoire de Paris (FR)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
- Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (FR)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Polytechnic University of Bari (IT)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Stofan, E. R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2007-01
- Volume
- 445
- Issue
- 7123
- Pages
- 61-64
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W2054027145
- Cited by
- 595
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 40
- FWCI
- 30.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Oskar-Bordeaux (Universite de Bordeaux) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Space and Planetary Science › Astro and Planetary Science
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Space and Planetary Science › Planetary Science and Exploration
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
- Keywords
- Titan, methane lakes, liquid methane, ethane, radar backscatter, Cassini flybys, water cycle, Northern Hemisphere, Saturnian satellites
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