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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 35,
L20105,
5 PP., 2008
doi:10.1029/2008GL035811
Evidence for temporal variability of Enceladus' gas jets: Modeling of Cassini observations
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London, UK
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Time variability of Enceladus' gas plume is deduced from a joint investigation of Cassini spacecraft magnetic field data obtained during the first three flybys E0, E1 and E2 and neutral density measurements during the E2 flyby with a model that describes Enceladus' plasma interaction with individual jets. We infer a total plume content of ∼7 × 1032 H2O molecules corresponding to a mass loss rate of ∼1600 kg/s for the E0 flyby and ∼9 × 1031 H2O molecules corresponding to a mass loss of ∼200 kg/s for the E1 and E2 flybys. The magnetic field measurements also support upstream/downstream changes of the plume activity locations. On the first three Enceladus flybys Cassini did not fly through the densest parts of the plumes, which were a factor of 10–100 times higher at the same altitudes.
Received 26 August 2008; accepted 23 September 2008; published 25 October 2008.
Citation: (2008), Evidence for temporal variability of Enceladus' gas jets: Modeling of Cassini observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L20105, doi:10.1029/2008GL035811.
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