On the shapes and spins of “rubble pile” asteroids     

Alan W. Harris  Eugene G. Fahnestock 《Icarus》2009,199(2):310-318

We examine the shape of a “rubble pile” asteroid as it slowly gains angular momentum by YORP torque, to the point where “landsliding” occurs. We find that it evolves to a “top” shape with constant angle of repose from the equator up to mid-latitude, closely resembling the shapes of several nearly critically spinning asteroids imaged by radar, most notably (66391) 1999 KW4 [Ostro, S.J., Margot, J.-L., Benner, L.A.M., Giorgini, J.D., Scheeres, D.J., Fahnestock, E.G., Broschart, S.B., Bellerose, J., Nolan, M.C., Magri, C., Pravec, P., Scheirich, P., Rose, R., Jurgens, R.F., De Jong, E.M., Suzuki, S., 2006. Science 314, 1276-1280]. Similar calculations for non-spinning extremely prolate or oblate “rubble piles” show that even loose rubble can sustain shapes far from fluid equilibrium, thus inferences based on fluid equilibrium are generally useless for inferring bulk properties such as density of small bodies. We also investigate the tidal effects of a binary system with a “top shape” primary spinning at near the critical limit for stability. We find that very close to the stability limit, the tide from the secondary can actually levitate loose debris from the surface and re-deposit it, in a process we call “tidal saltation.” In the process, angular momentum is transferred from the primary spin to the satellite orbit, thus maintaining the equilibrium of near-critical spin as YORP continues to add angular momentum to the system. We note that this process is in fact dynamically related to the process of “shepherding” of narrow rings by neighboring satellites.  相似文献   

Mercury's capture into the 3/2 spin-orbit resonance including the effect of core-mantle friction     

Alexandre C.M. Correia  Jacques Laskar 《Icarus》2009,201(1):1-218

The rotation of Mercury is presently captured in a 3/2 spin-orbit resonance with the orbital mean motion. The capture mechanism is well understood as the result of tidal interactions with the Sun combined with planetary perturbations [Goldreich, P., Peale, S., 1966. Astron. J. 71, 425-438; Correia, A.C.M., Laskar, J., 2004. Nature 429, 848-850]. However, it is now almost certain that Mercury has a liquid core [Margot, J.L., Peale, S.J., Jurgens, R.F., Slade, M.A., Holin, I.V., 2007. Science 316, 710-714] which should induce a contribution of viscous friction at the core-mantle boundary to the spin evolution. According to Peale and Boss [Peale, S.J., Boss, A.P., 1977. J. Geophys. Res. 82, 743-749] this last effect greatly increases the chances of capture in all spin-orbit resonances, being 100% for the 2/1 resonance, and thus preventing the planet from evolving to the presently observed configuration. Here we show that for a given resonance, as the chaotic evolution of Mercury's orbit can drive its eccentricity to very low values during the planet's history, any previous capture can be destabilized whenever the eccentricity becomes lower than a critical value. In our numerical integrations of 1000 orbits of Mercury over 4 Gyr, the spin ends 99.8% of the time captured in a spin-orbit resonance, in particular in one of the following three configurations: 5/2 (22%), 2/1 (32%) and 3/2 (26%). Although the present 3/2 spin-orbit resonance is not the most probable outcome, we also show that the capture probability in this resonance can be increased up to 55% or 73%, if the eccentricity of Mercury in the past has descended below the critical values 0.025 or 0.005, respectively.  相似文献   

Shell thickness variations and the long-wavelength topography of Titan     

F. Nimmo  B.G. Bills 《Icarus》2010,208(2):896-904

The long-wavelength topography of Titan has an amplitude larger than that expected from tidal and rotational distortions at its current distance from Saturn. This topography is associated with small gravity anomalies, indicating a high degree of compensation. Both observations can be explained if Titan has a floating, isostatically-compensated ice shell with a spatially-varying thickness. The spatial variations arise because of laterally-variable tidal heating within the ice shell. Models incorporating shell thickness variations result in an improved fit to the observations and a degree-two tidal Love number h_2t consistent with expectations, without requiring Titan to have moved away from Saturn. Our preferred models have a mean shell thickness of ≈100 km in agreement with the observed gravity anomalies, and a heat flux appropriate to a chondritic Titan. Shell thickness variations are eliminated by convection; we therefore conclude that Titan’s ice shell is not convecting at the present day.  相似文献   

Shallow-water loading tides in Japan from superconducting gravimetry     

S. A. Khan  J. L. Høyer 《Journal of Geodesy》2004,78(4-5):245-250

Gravity observations from superconducting gravimeters are used to observe loading effects from shallow-water tides on the Japanese east and west coasts. Non-linear third-diurnal and higher-frequency shallow-water tides are identified in the tide-gauge observations from these coastal areas. The most energetic constituents in the tide gauge observations are also seen in the gravity observations due to their loading effects on the deformation of the Earth. Even though the shallow-water tides at the Japanese east coast have an amplitude of only a few millimetres, they are still able to generate a loading signal at gravity sites located several hundred kilometres inland. In particular, the S₃, S₄ and S₅ solar tides occur in both gravity and tide gauge observations. It is indicated that in other shelf regions with large shallow water tides, the shallow water loading signals account for a significant signal, which should be taken into account.Acknowledgement The authors would like to thank the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department (Japan Coast Guard), Japan Meteorological Agency and Hokkaido Development Agency for access to the tide-gauge data. Also, the Global Geodynamic Project Information System and Data Center (GGP-ISDC) is acknowledged for providing the gravity data.  相似文献   

Tidal wetting and drying on shore platforms: An experimental study of surface expansion and contraction     

Alan Trenhaile   《Geomorphology》2006,76(3-4):316-331

Laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure rock expansion and contraction induced by wetting and drying on intertidal shore platforms in eastern Canada. Almost 800 rock cores and cubes were subjected to between 800 and 1000 tidal cycles. The rocks were put into tidal simulators and inundated in de-ionized water for 1, 6, or 11 h of each 12 h cycle, replicating conditions at the high, mid-, and low tidal levels, respectively. Micro-erosion meter (MEM) stations were also installed in slabs of argillite, sandstone, and basalt. The slabs were subjected to conditions at the high, mid-, and low tidal levels, and a traversing MEM was used to measure rock expansion and contraction as the slabs dried in air with variable temperature and humidity during low tide. The slabs were also exposed for long periods to air with variable humidity. Cores and cubes often gained in weight when they absorbed or adsorbed water and retained it for periods ranging from 1 month to 1 year or more, although this did not appear to be a prelude to rock breakdown. Tidal wetting and drying and exposure to humid air caused the argillite and basalt slabs to expand and contract by up to 0.14 and 0.04 mm, respectively. Wetting and drying did not induce expansion or contraction of the sandstone, but the sandstone did respond slightly to changes in air humidity. The greatest amount of expansion and contraction was at the high tidal level in the argillite and at the mid-tidal level in the basalt, which is consistent with previously measured rates of downwearing.  相似文献   

Angular momentum of Arctic Ocean tides     

R. D. Ray  B. F. Chao  Z. Kowalik  A. Y. Proshutinsky 《Journal of Geodesy》1997,71(6):344-350

Oceanic tidal angular momentum (OTAM) is calculated for the four major tides of the Arctic Ocean, based on the tidal elevations and current velocities from a recent two-dimensional numerical hydrodynamic model. The presented OTAM tables are meant to be complementary to other modeling studies that use satellite altimetry (which cannot observe Arctic Ocean tides because of ice cover and limited satellite inclinations). Although the Arctic Ocean's influence on earth rotation is, as may be expected, relatively small, the rapid advancement of the subject now calls for such small contributions to be explicitly accounted for. Received: 22 January 1996; Accepted: 5 December 1996  相似文献   

Mechanics of tidally driven fractures in Europa's ice shell     

Sunwoong Lee  Nicholas C. Makris 《Icarus》2005,177(2):367-379

A fracture mechanics model is developed for the initiation and propagation of a crack through a porous ice layer of finite thickness under gravitational overburden. It is found that surface cracks generated in response to a tidally induced stress field may penetrate through the entire outer brittle layer if a subsurface ocean is present on Europa. Such penetration is found to be very unlikely in the absence of an ocean. A cycloidal crack would then form as a sequence of near instantaneous discrete failures, each extending roughly the brittle layer thickness in range, linked with a much lower apparent propagation speed set by the moving tidal stress field. The implications of this porous ice fracture model for ice-penetrating radar scattering loss and seismic activity are quantified.  相似文献   

Accuracy assessment of the monthly GRACE geoids based upon a simulation     

E. J. O. Schrama  P. N. A. M. Visser 《Journal of Geodesy》2007,81(1):67-80

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the effect of geophysical background model errors that affects temporal gravity solutions provided by the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE). Initial performance estimates by Dickey et al. (1997) suggested a formal geoid RMS error better than 0.1 mm up to spherical harmonic degree 5. Now that the GRACE gravity models and data are available, it is evident that these original expectations were too optimistic. Our hypothesis is that this is partially explained by errors in geophysical background models that need to be applied in the GRACE data reduction, and that this effect was not considered by Dickey et al. (1997). We discuss the results of a closed-loop simulation, where satellite trajectory prediction software is used for the generation of GRACE range-rate data and GRACE orbit solutions with the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS). During the recovery step in our closed-loop simulation, we show that simulated nuisance signals (based on tide and air pressure model differences) map to a 0.7 mm geoid effect for periods longer than 3 months and to less than 0.4 mm for periods shorter than 3 months. The long-period geoid hydrology signal is at a level of 4.5 mm, while the short-period hydrology is at 0.25 mm. The long-period ocean bottom pressure (OBP) signal maps at 0.8 mm and for short periods it is 0.4 mm. We conclude that short-period effects are difficult to observe by GRACE and that long-period effects, like hydrology, are easier to recover than OBP variations.  相似文献   

Baroclinic tidal flows and inundation processes in Cook Inlet, Alaska: numerical modeling and satellite observations   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Lie-Yauw Oey  Tal Ezer  Chuanmin Hu  Frank E. Muller-Karger 《Ocean Dynamics》2007,57(3):205-221

A wetting and drying (WAD) algorithm is implemented in a baroclinic three-dimensional ocean circulation model of Cook Inlet, Alaska, where large tidal ranges (≈10 m) regularly expose extensive mudflats. The model includes tides and wind- and buoyancy-induced flows. In the upper Inlet, the model successfully simulates large amplification of tides and propagation of fast (3 ∼ 4 m s⁻¹) tidal bores over shallow mudflats. The simulated return flows during ebb expose large areas (∼100 km²) of the mudflats. Medium-resolution (250- and 500-m) images obtained from the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites were used to verify the model results by identifying the location, extent, and temporal changes of the exposed mudflat regions. The results demonstrate the value of operational, medium-resolution remote sensing data in evaluating the WAD model. Sensitivity tests show that WAD produces approximately 20% larger tidal amplitude and 10% slower phase than the corresponding experiment without WAD. In the deep channel of the central Inlet, the confluence of saline water of the lower Inlet with brackish water from rivers and melting ice from land around the upper Inlet produces a salinity front. At the simulated front, strong vertical circulation cells and surface convergence and currents develop, especially during the flood. The characteristics resemble those of “rip tides” often observed in this region.  相似文献   

Titan's internal structure inferred from a coupled thermal-orbital model     

Gabriel Tobie  Olivier Grasset  Antoine Mocquet 《Icarus》2005,175(2):496-502

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