Search for methane isotope fractionation due to Rayleigh distillation on Titan

TL;DR

This study investigates methane isotope fractionation on Titan using near-IR spectra, constraining the extent of condensation and deep convection effects on methane vapor through Rayleigh distillation modeling.

Contribution

It introduces a Rayleigh distillation model based on recent lab data to estimate methane isotope fractionation during Titan's atmospheric convection.

Findings

Limits on methane isotope variation below 50 km are set at 10%.

Deep convection can cause methane fractionation of -10 to -40 per mil.

Higher signal-to-noise observations are needed for detection.

Abstract

We search for meridional variation in the abundance of CH$_3$D relative to CH$_4$ on Titan using near-IR spectra obtained with NIRSPAO at Keck, which have a photon-limited signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$50. Our observations can rule out a larger than 10% variation in the column of CH$_3$D below 50 km. The preferential condensation of the heavy isotopologues will fractionate methane by reducing CH$_3$D in the remaining vapor, and therefore these observations place limits on the amount of condensation that occurs in the troposphere. While previous estimates of CH$_3$D fractionation on Titan have estimated an upper limit of -6 per mil, assuming a solid condensate, we consider more recent laboratory data for the equilibrium fractionation over liquid methane, and use a Rayleigh distillation model to calculate fractionation in an ascending parcel of air that is following a moist adiabat. We find that deep, precipitating convection can enhance the fractionation of the remaining methane vapor by -10 to -40 per mil, depending on the final temperature of the rising parcel. By relating fractionation of our reference parcel model to the pressure level where the moist adiabat achieves the required temperature, we argue that the measured methane fractionation constrains the outflow level for a deep convective event. Observations with a factor of at least 4 to 6 times larger signal-to-noise are required to detect this amount of fractionation, depending on the altitude range over which the outflow from deep convection occurs.