Posted on 11/09/2010 7:46:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Since 2005, when the Cassini spacecraft first observed icy plumes spewing from the south pole of Enceladus (SN: 5/6/06, p. 282), researchers have speculated that an ocean may lie buried tens of kilometers beneath the moon's fractured, icy surface. Now, Cassini scientist Dennis Matson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and his colleagues propose adding a bit of effervescence to the watery hypothesis. Circulating, bubbly seawater containing 1 or 2 percent dissolved carbon dioxide and other gases could supply water, gas, dust and heat to Enceladus' polar plumes, the researchers say. It can also explain why some of the ice grains expelled by the plumes carry sodium and potassium salts.
Noncarbonated seawater circulating from the moon's solid core to the surface would stall rather than seep though cracks in the ice because seawater is denser than the icy carapace. If the seawater were fizzy, however, gas bubbles would form in the liquid, reducing the ocean's density. Once the seawater became less dense than the ice, the water could rise to within 10 to 15 meters of the frigid surface. That's close enough to fill chambers in the icy crust with water that feeds the south polar plumes.
In addition, as the bubbles popped they would spray the plume chambers with tiny droplets containing dissolved salts from the seawater. Those droplets would emerge from the plumes as salty grains like those that have been observed by Cassini (SN: 8/30/08, p. 10). The bubbly water would also warm large areas of the icy south polar crust, Matson notes.
After the water transferred its heat and grew colder, the bubbles would dissolve and the water would once again become denser than the surface ice. The liquid would sink back through the cracks and rejoin the rest of the subsurface ocean.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
A fizzy, interior ocean similar to Perrier may feed jets spraying from the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. Bubbles in seawater travel through a passage in the icy crust to feed a geyser, as shown in the illustration above. The expelled seawater then flows back down to the subsurface ocean through cracks in the ice. SSI, JPL/NASA
 |
||
| · join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe · | ||
They really need to cut down on lightbulbs and SUVs up there.
Ah, so that's what that mysterious plume was off the coast of California.
A carbonated source. I hadn't thought of that.
What? Wrong plume?
It’s like popping the cap on a carbonated beverage.
Sounds like Enceladus needs more Cap and less Trade!
Ping.
This is all BS.
There was no mention anywhere in the Bible of carbon sources of the plumes on Enceladus. It can’t be true.
Obvious misinformation like this has no place on a conservative forum!
;^)
For you.
???
It’s a bit of a running joke. Disregard. lol
It’s obvious that the oceans on Enceladus consist mostly of beer. The only question is when will the effervescing carbon dioxide cause runaway warming, and how much can Al Gore earn selling the necessary carbon offsets.
You run rings around us with your wit. ;’)
Heavy sarcasm I sense in you. Sarcasm leads to the dark side. ;^p
Actually I love your work. :’) Guess I’ve already joined the Power of the Dark Side...
After posting it, I didn’t really think it was that funny. One of those instances where the mind and hands aren’t working together(too much beer). lol
I think I had half the forum(well, maybe 75%) pissed at me last night because I expressed doubts about Palin winning in 2012.
I’m much better behaved tonight. I think I’ll hop on the PS3 and play some COD if I find myself becoming ‘overly adventurous’ this evening. ;>)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.