New Technology Calculates River Flow on Earth, Mars, and Titan Using Satellite Observations

Apart from the Earth, two other celestial bodies in the Solar System have witnessed the flow of rivers. On Mars, only dry remnants like tracks and craters remain of ancient rivers and lakes. However, Titan, Saturn's largest moon, currently boasts rivers comprised of flowing liquid methane.

According to the news release, MIT geologists have devised a novel technique enabling the assessment of past river activity on Mars as well as the current flow on Titan. This method relies on satellite observations to gauge the velocity at which rivers transport fluids and sediment downstream.

Calculating the River Flow

Using their innovative technique, the MIT team conducted calculations to determine the velocity and depth of rivers in specific regions on Mars over 1 billion years ago.

They also applied their method to estimate the characteristics of presently active rivers on Titan, despite the challenges posed by the moon's thick atmosphere and distant location, resulting in limited available surface images compared to Mars.

The significance of Titan's active rivers prompted the researchers, led by Taylor Perron from MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, to develop their study.

They observed that images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed an intriguing absence of fan-shaped deltas at the mouths of most rivers on Titan, unlike Earth's rivers. This led to the question of whether Titan's rivers lacked sufficient flow or sediment to form deltas.

The team expanded on the mathematical equations developed by co-author Gary Parker, who had previously examined measurements of Earth's rivers to establish universal relationships between their physical dimensions, such as width, depth, slope, and flow rate.

These equations incorporated variables like gravitational forces and sediment properties. By applying these equations, the researchers demonstrated that similar relationships could be observed in rivers on other planets, allowing them to extend their analysis to Mars and Titan.

This study, titled "Reconstructing river flows remotely on Earth, Titan, and Mars" published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, opens up exciting possibilities, enabling predictions for Titan's river systems where data collection is challenging.

Moreover, it provides valuable insights into Mars' past, offering a glimpse into the behavior of rivers that are now inactive, revealing their characteristics when they were actively flowing.

Predicting River Flow Rates on Mars and Titan from Limited Measurements

Using data on width and slope, the researchers adapted mathematical equations to predict flow rates, as applied on Earth, Phys.org reported. Testing their modified equations on Earth's rivers, they achieved accurate predictions based solely on width and slope.

Applying their approach to Mars, the team focused on the ancient rivers leading into Gale and Jezero Craters, which were once water-filled lakes. By plugging Mars' gravity and estimates of width and slope into the equations, they predicted flow rates.

Their findings suggest that rivers likely flowed for significant durations- over 100,000 years at Gale Crater and at least 1 million years at Jezero Crater, indicating the potential for past habitability. Comparisons with field measurements of Martian grains near the rivers validated the accuracy of their equations.

The team then extended their method to Titan, identifying locations with measurable river slopes, including a river flowing into a lake of comparable size to Lake Ontario. While this river appeared to form a delta, which is rare on Titan, most viewable rivers lacked such deposits.

The researchers calculated flow rates, comparable to large Earth rivers like the Mississippi, and expected sediment movement to form deltas. The absence of deltas on Titan raises further questions about the mechanisms governing river deposits. These insights offer valuable glimpses into the geologic history and conditions of Mars and Titan.

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