Crustal control of dissipative ocean tides in Enceladus and other icy moons

• Published in: Icarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) N.Y. 1962), 2016-12, Vol.280, p.278-299
• Main Author: Beuthe, Mikael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Crusts; Dissipation; dynamics; Enceladus; Icy satellites; Mathematical models; Ocean models; Oceans; Rotational dynamics; Satellites; solid body; Tides
• ISSN: 0019-1035; 1090-2643
• DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2016.08.009

•Laplace Tidal Equations coupled to a viscoelastic membrane.•Simultaneous dissipation in mantle-ocean-crust.•Crust strongly reduces oceanic dissipation in Enceladus.•Simple scaling of resonances with crustal resistance.•Crustal dissipation due to dynamical obliquity tides can differ by a factor two. Could tidal dissipation within Enceladus’ subsurface ocean account for the observed heat flow? Earthlike models of dynamical tides give no definitive answer because they neglect the influence of the crust. I propose here the first model of dissipative tides in a subsurface ocean, by combining the Laplace Tidal Equations with the membrane approach. For the first time, it is possible to compute tidal dissipation rates within the crust, ocean, and mantle in one go. I show that oceanic dissipation is strongly reduced by the crustal constraint, and thus contributes little to Enceladus’ present heat budget. Tidal resonances could have played a role in a forming or freezing ocean less than 100 m deep. The model is general: it applies to all icy satellites with a thin crust and a shallow ocean. Scaling rules relate the resonances and dissipation rate of a subsurface ocean to the ones of a surface ocean. If the ocean has low viscosity, the westward obliquity tide does not move the crust. Therefore, crustal dissipation due to dynamical obliquity tides can differ from the static prediction by up to a factor of two.