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takyon writes:

A study using Cassini's radar observations of Titan's surface has estimated the roughness of its hydrocarbon lakes and seas:

The liquid-hydrocarbon lakes and seas on Titan are incredibly calm, suggesting that future missions to the huge Saturn moon could enjoy a smooth ride to the surface, a new study reports.

The waves rippling the three largest lakes in Titan's northern hemisphere are tiny, according to the study — just 0.25 inches (1 centimeter) high by about 8 inches (20 cm) long.

"There's a lot of interest in one day sending probes to the lakes, and when that's done, you want to have a safe landing, and you don't want a lot of wind," study lead author Cyril Grima, a research associate at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), said in a statement. "Our study shows that because the waves aren't very high, the winds are likely low."

From older observations:

Calculations of the waves' height suggested they were a puny few centimetres high.

Another way to explore Titan would be to use winged drones or quadcopters, which would be capable of generating more lift than on Earth.

Also at University of Texas at Austin.

Surface roughness of Titan's hydrocarbon seas (DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.06.007) (DX)

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