title: Rapid and extensive surface changes near Titan's equator: evidence of April showers.
abstract: Although there is evidence that liquids have flowed on the surface at Titan's equator in the past, to date, liquids have only been confirmed on the surface at polar latitudes, and the vast expanses of dunes that dominate Titan's equatorial regions require a predominantly arid climate. We report the detection by Cassini's Imaging Science Subsystem of a large low-latitude cloud system early in Titan's northern spring and extensive surface changes (spanning more than 500,000 square kilometers) in the wake of this storm. The changes are most consistent with widespread methane rainfall reaching the surface, which suggests that the dry channels observed at Titan's low latitudes are carved by seasonal precipitation.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. elizabeth.turtle@jhuapl.edu
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Turtle
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: McEwen
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Del Genio
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barbara
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Lunine
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: R M C
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Stofan
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D008697:Methane; D018539:Saturn; D018531:Spacecraft
chemical_list: D008697:Methane