| DOI | Resolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2009.05.024 |
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| Author | Search for: Cavalié, T.; Search for: Billebaud, F.; Search for: Dobrijevic, M.; Search for: Fouchet, T.; Search for: Lellouch, E.; Search for: Encrenaz, T.; Search for: Brillet, J.; Search for: Moriarty-Schieven, G. H.1; Search for: Wouterloot, J. G. A.; Search for: Hartogh, P. |
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| Affiliation | - National Research Council of Canada. NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics
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| Format | Text, Article |
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| Subject | Saturn; atmosphere; spectroscopy |
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| Abstract | We have performed the first observation of the CO(3-2) spectral line in the atmosphere of Saturn with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We have used a transport model of the atmosphere of Saturn to constrain the origin of the observed CO. The CO line is best-fit when the CO is located at pressures less than (15 +- 2) mbar with a mixing ratio of (2.5 +- 0.6) x 10(-8)implying an external origin. By modeling the transport in Saturn’s atmosphere, we find that a cometary impact origin with an impact 200–350 years ago is more likely than continuous deposition by interplanetary dust particles (IDP) or local sources (rings/satellites). This result would confirm that comet impacts are relatively frequent and efficient providers of CO to the atmospheres of the outer planets. However, a diffuse and/or local source cannot be rejected, because we did not account for photochemistry of oxygen compounds. Finally, we have derived an upper limit of ∼1 x 10(-9) on the tropospheric CO mixing ratio. |
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| Publication date | 2009-06-09 |
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| Publisher | Elsevier |
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| In | |
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| Language | English |
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| Peer reviewed | Yes |
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| NPARC number | 23004904 |
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| Export citation | Export as RIS |
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| Report a correction | Report a correction (opens in a new tab) |
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| Record identifier | c7d7ddd6-bea4-417b-a04b-5f0e75193d6c |
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| Record created | 2019-01-18 |
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| Record modified | 2020-04-16 |
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