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Henry Roe
Titan's methane meteorological cycle
Research Interests:
The planets in our solar system provide a diverse set of atmospheric composition, conditions, and processes. Studying these atmospheric 'laboratories' leads us to a better understanding of fundamental atmospheric chemistry and physics. My research during this NSF fellowship is focused on observations of the methane weather and hydrocarbon chemistry of Titan's atmosphere. Our discovery of methane convective clouds at Titan's south pole has shattered the conventional view of Titan's atmosphere as quiescent and cloudless without significant weather except on seasonal time scales. Yet, a new understanding of Titan's weather and methane meteorological cycle is only just starting to develop and will require a variety of new observing techniques and strategies.
Education and Outreach Interests:
Each year during my NSF fellowship I will lead a group of first year undergraduates in a 5 week collaborative research project and also supervise 1-2 undergraduate student researchers each summer.