In a 2025 paper in the "Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets", Assistant Professor Sam Birch and his team identified just two probable deltas among the large mapped rivers that terminate at Titan’s coastlines. That works out to roughly 1.3 per cent. Rivers of comparable size on Earth nearly always form one. The team built a numerical model to test the radar behavior of terrestrial water with the properties expected for Titan’s methane-rich liquids.
Read Article
Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
Sam Birch
Assistant Professor
Lincoln Field
Room 301
Room 301
Research Interests
Planetary Geoscience
Biography
My research explores the rich diversity of physical processes that shape planetary surfaces and climates across the Solar System. With spacecraft observations, mathematical and computational models, and laboratory experiments, I seek to understand how these many surfaces came to be, and what that implies for their ever-changing planetary climates.
Recent News
News from DEEPS
Spring Break Field Trip 2026
This year, DEEPS undergraduates traveled to Texas and Southern New Mexico for the annual 2026 Spring Break Field Trip. Guided by Assistant Professor Sam Birch, their geologic journey included exploring Big Ben National Part, traversing the White Sands gypsum dunes of New Mexico, and much more. Enjoy these photos from their exciting and educational adventure!
Read Article
News from Brown
Stalwart Mars camera snaps image of interstellar comet 3I/Atlas
A Brown University researcher helps to lead the science team for NASA’s HiRISE camera, which caught images of the comet as it streaked past Mars.
Read Article
News from Brown
Scientists probe the mystery of Titan’s missing deltas
New research finds that despite large rivers and seas of liquid methane, Saturn’s moon Titan seems mostly devoid of river deltas, raising new questions about the surface dynamics on this alien world.
Read Article
A new study on how comets evolve reveals that deep space objects like Kuiper Belt Object 486958 Arrokoth may be time capsules containing ancient ices from billions of years ago.
Read Article
The Planetary Society
Comparing the rivers of Earth, Mars, and Titan
Get ready for a journey across the rivers of our Solar System in this week's Planetary Radio. Sam Birch, an assistant professor at Brown University, explores what we know about the alluvial rivers of Earth, Mars, and Saturn’s moon Titan.
Read Article