Air–Sea Interactions on Titan: Effect of Radiative Transfer on the Lake Evaporation and Atmospheric Circulation

Abstract Titan’s northern high latitudes host many large hydrocarbon lakes. Like water lakes on Earth, are constantly subject to evaporation. This process strongly affects the atmospheric methane abundance, temperature, lake mixed layer and local wind circulation. In this work we use a 2D mesoscale model coupled slab investigate effect of solar infrared radiation exchange energy between atmosphere. The magnitude reaching surface Titan through its thick atmosphere is only few watts per square meter. However, find that small input important comparable in absolute latent sensible heat fluxes, as suggested study by Rafkin & Soto (2020). implementation gray radiative scheme confirms importance when studying at Titan. Solar change balance system leading an enhancement evaporation rate, increase equilibrium temperature almost completely determined environment (humidity, insolation, background wind), strengthening sea breeze, which undergoes diurnal variations. breeze efficiently transports vapor horizontally, from land, vertically due rising motion along front radiation-induced turbulence over land.