Carl Sagan

Earth and Mars: Evolution of Atmospheres and Surface Temperatures

Solar evolution implies, for contemporary albedos and atmospheric composition, global mean temperatures below the freezing point of seawater less than 2.3 aeons ago, contrary to geologic and paleontological evidence. Ammonia mixing ratios of the order of a few parts per million in the middle Precambrian atmosphere resolve this and other problems. Possible temperature evolutionary tracks for Earth and Mars are described. A runaway greenhouse efect will occur on Earth about 4.5 aeons from now, when clement conditions will prevail on Mars.

The Jupiter System Through the Eyes of Voyager 1

The cameras aboard Voyager 1 have provided a closeup view of the Jupiter system, revealing heretofore unknown characteristics and phenomena associated with the planets atmosphere and the surfaces of its five major satellites. On Jupiter itself, atmospheric motions—the interaction of cloud systems—display complex vorticity. On its dark side, lightning and auroras are observed. A ring was discovered surrounding Jupiter. The satellite surfaces display dramatic differences including extensive active volcanismn on Io, complex tectonism on Ganymnede and possibly Europa, and flattened remnants of enormous impact features on Callisto.

Optical constants of organic tholins produced in a simulated Titanian atmosphere: From soft x-ray to microwave frequencies

As part of a continuing series of experiments on the production of dark reddish organic solids, called tholins, by irradiation of cosmically abundant reducing gases, the synthesis from a simulated Titanian atmosphere of a tholin with a visible reflection spectrum similar to that of the high altitude aerosols responsible for the albedo and reddish color of Titan has been reported (C. Sagan and B. N. Khare, 1981, Bull. Amer. Astron. Soc. 13, 701; 1982, Orig. Life. 12, 280) and [C. Sagan, B. N. Khare, and J. Lewis, in press. In Saturn (M. S. Matthews and T. Gehrels, Eds.), Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson]. The determination of the real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex refractive index of thin films of such tholin prepared by continuous D.C. discharge through a 0.9 N2/0.1 CH4 gas mixture at 0.2 mb are reported. For 250 A ≤ γ ≤ 1000 μm, n and k have been determined from a combination of transmittance, specular reflectance, interferometric, Brewster angle, and ellipsometric polarization measurements; experimental uncertainties in n are estimated to be ±0.5, and in k ± 30%. Values of n(≅1.65) and k (≅0.004 to 0.08) in the visible range are consistent with deductions made by ground-based and spacecraft observations of Titan. Maximum values of k (≅0.8) are near 1000 A, and minimum values (≅4 × 10−4) are near 1.5 μm. Many infrared absorption features are present in k(γ), including the 4.6-μm nitrile band.

Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multple Nuclear Explosions

The potential global atmospheric and climatic consequences of nuclear war are investigated using models previously developed to study the effects of volcanic eruptions. Although the results are necessarily imprecise due to wide range of possible scenaros and uncertainty in physical parameters, the most probable first-order effects are serious. Significant hemispherical attenuation of the solar radiation flux and subfreezing land temperatures may be caused by fine dust raised in high-yield nuclear surface bursts and by smoke from city and forest fires ignited by airbursts of all yields. For many simulated exchanges of several thousand megatons, in which dust and smoke are generated and encircle the earth within 1 to 2 weeks, average light levels can be reduced to a few percent of ambient and land temperatures can reach -15 � to -25 �C. The yield threshold for major optical and climatic consequences may be very low: only about 100 megatons detonated over major urban centers can create average hemispheric smoke optical depths greater than 2 for weeks and, even in summer, subfreezing land temperatures for months. In a 5000-megaton war, at northern mid-latitude sites remote from targets, radioactive fallout on time scales of days to weeks can lead to chronic mean doses of up to 50 rads from external whole-body gamma-ray exposure, with a likely equal or greater internal dose from biologically active radionuclides. Large horizontal and vertical temperature gradients caused by absorption of sunlight in smoke and dust clouds may greatly accelerate transport of particles and radioactivity from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. When combined with the prompt destruction from nuclear blast, fires, and fallout and the later enhancement of solar ultraviolet radiation due to ozone depletion, long-term exposure to cold, dark, and radioactivity could pose a serious threat to human survivors and to other species.

Voyager 2 at Neptune: Imaging Science Results

Voyager 2 images of Neptune reveal a windy planet characterized by bright clouds of methane ice suspended in an exceptionally clear atmosphere above a lower deck of hydrogen sulfide or ammonia ices. Neptunes atmosphere is dominated by a large anticyclonic storm system that has been named the Great Dark Spot (GDS). About the same size as Earth in extent, the GDS bears both many similarities and some differences to the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. Neptunes zonal wind profile is remarkably similar to that of Uranus. Neptune has three major rings at radii of 42,000, 53,000, and 63,000 kilometers. The outer ring contains three higher density arc-like segments that were apparently responsible for most of the ground-based occultation events observed during the current decade. Like the rings of Uranus, the Neptune rings are composed of very dark material; unlike that of Uranus, the Neptune system is very dusty. Six new regular satellites were found, with dark surfaces and radii ranging from 200 to 25 kilometers. All lie inside the orbit of Triton and the inner four are located within the ring system. Triton is seen to be a differentiated body, with a radius of 1350 kilometers and a density of 2.1 grams per cubic centimeter; it exhibits clear evidence of early episodes of surface melting. A now rigid crust of what is probably water ice is overlain with a brilliant coating of nitrogen frost, slightly darkened and reddened with organic polymer material. Streaks of organic polymer suggest seasonal winds strong enough to move particles of micrometer size or larger, once they become airborne. At least two active plumes were seen, carrying dark material 8 kilometers above the surface before being transported downstream by high level winds. The plumes may be driven by solar heating and the subsequent violent vaporization of subsurface nitrogen.

The Galilean Satellites and Jupiter: Voyager 2 Imaging Science Results

Voyager 2, during its encounter with the Jupiter system, provided images that both complement and supplement in important ways the Voyager 1 images. While many changes have been observed in Jupiters visual appearance, few, yet significant, changes have been detected in the principal atmospheric currents. Jupiters ring system is strongly forward scattering at visual wavelengths and consists of a narrow annulus of highest particle density, within which is a broader region in which the density is lower. On Io, changes are observed in eruptive activity, plume structure, and surface albedo patterns. Europas surface retains little or no record of intense meteorite bombardment, but does reveal a complex and, as yet, little-understood system of overlapping bright and dark linear features. Ganymede is found to have at least one unit of heavily cratered terrain on a surface that otherwise suggests widespread tectonism. Except for two large ringed basins, Callistos entire surface is heavily cratered.

Physical properties of the particles composing the Martian dust storm of 1971–1972

Infrared spectra obtained from the Mariner 9 spacecraft during the 1971–1972 dust storm are used to derive information on the composition and particle size distribution of the dust and to study the time evolution of the storm. The dust is not composed of pure granite, basalt, basaltic glass, obsidian, quartz, andesite, or montmorillonite. The infrared spectra suggest that the dust is a mixture of materials, dominated by igneous silicates with >62;60% SiO2, or weathering products such as clay minerals, but the dust could possibly have a significant component of lower SiO2 materials such as basalt. Substantial quantities of carbonates, nitrates, or carbon suboxide are excluded from the mixture. All infrared, visible, and ultraviolet data on the Martian surface composition seem consistent with a mixture of basalt and clay minerals or high SiO2 igneous rocks, with a surface patina of oxides of iron. For all candidate compositions, the data are best matched with a size distribution that approximates a differential power law function of slope −4. This size distribution is quite similar to terrestial size distributions in regions remote from sources of dust. The relative abundance of particles between 1- and 10-μm radius did not change during the Mariner 9 mission; thus suspended particles did not experience Stokes-Cunningham fallout but instead were supported by turbulence with an eddy diffusion coefficient, Ke ⋍ 7 × 106 cm2sec−1. The aerosol optical depth, standardized to 0.3-μm wavelength, varied from about 1.5 early in the mission to about 0.2 at Orbit 200.

Voyager 2 in the Uranian system: imaging science results

Voyager 2 images of the southern hemisphere of Uranus indicate that submicrometersize haze particles and particles of a methane condensation cloud produce faint patterns in the atmosphere. The alignment of the cloud bands is similar to that of bands on Jupiter and Saturn, but the zonal winds are nearly opposite. At mid-latitudes (-70� to -27�), where winds were measured, the atmosphere rotates faster than the magnetic field; however, the rotation rate of the atmosphere decreases toward the equator, so that the two probably corotate at about -20�. Voyager images confirm the extremely low albedo of the ring particles. High phase angle images reveal on the order of 102 new ringlike features of very low optical depth and relatively high dust abundance interspersed within the main rings, as well as a broad, diffuse, low optical depth ring just inside the main rings system. Nine of the newly discovered small satellites (40 to 165 kilometers in diameter) orbit between the rings and Miranda; the tenth is within the ring system. Two of these small objects may gravitationally confine the e ring. Oberon and Umbriel have heavily cratered surfaces resembling the ancient cratered highlands of Earths moon, although Umbriel is almost completely covered with uniform dark material, which perhaps indicates some ongoing process. Titania and Ariel show crater populations different from those on Oberon and Umbriel; these were probably generated by collisions with debris confined to their orbits. Titania and Ariel also show many extensional fault systems; Ariel shows strong evidence for the presence of extrusive material. About halfof Mirandas surface is relatively bland, old, cratered terrain. The remainder comprises three large regions of younger terrain, each rectangular to ovoid in plan, that display complex sets of parallel and intersecting scarps and ridges as well as numerous outcrops of bright and dark materials, perhaps suggesting some exotic composition.

Tholins: organic chemistry of interstellar grains and gas

A complex organic solid produced from cosmically abundant molecules helps to explain many properties of the interstellar grains and gas.

Production and condensation of organic gases in the atmosphere of Titan

The rates and altitudes for the dissociation of atmospheric constituents of Titan are calculated for solar UV, solar wind protons, interplanetary electrons, Saturn magnetospheric particles, and cosmic rays. The resulting integrated synthesis rates of organic products range from 102–103 g cm−2 over 4.5 × 109 years for high-energy particle sources to 1.3 × 104 g cm−2 for UV at λ 1550 A (acting primarily on C2H2, C2H4, and C4H2) is included. The production rate curves show no localized maxima corresponding to observed altitudes of Titans hazes and clouds. For simple to moderately complex organic gases in the Titanian atmosphere, condensation occurs below the top of the main cloud deck at 2825 km. Such condensates comprise the principal cloud mass, with molecules of greater complexity condensing at higher altitudes. The scattering optical depths of the condensates of molecules produced in the Titanian mesosphere are as great as ∼ 102/(particulate radius, μm) if column densities of condensed and gas phases are comparable. Visible condensation hazes of more complex organic compounds may occur at altitudes up to ∼ 3060 km provided only that the abundance of organic products declines with molecular mass no faster than laboratory experiments indicate. Typical organics condensing at 2900 km have molecular masses = 100–150 Da. At current rates of production the integrated depth of precipitated organic liquids, ices, and tholins produced over 4.5 × 109 years ranges from a minimum ∼ 100 m to kilometers if UV at λ > 1550 A is important. The organic nitrogen content of this layer is expected to be ∼ 10−1−10−3 by mass.