Sea-surface wave growth under extraterrestrial atmospheres: Preliminary wind tunnel experiments with application to Mars and Titan

We describe for the first time the generation and measurement of capillary waves in a water surface in a wind tunnel running with air at pressures of 15-1000 mbar. These experiments suggest a stronger dependence of wave generation on atmospheric density than the simple proportionality that might be expected from energy transfer arguments. Additionally, airflow over a nonaqueous fluid (kerosene) was found to produce waves of higher amplitude than for water under the same conditions. These preliminary results may indicate different efficiencies of wave generation on other planets, for which empirical terrestrial relations therefore do not apply, and thus may have a bearing on the lack of strong shoreline features on Mars and the possibility of specular glints from hydrocarbon lakes on Titan.