Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is more Earth-like than thought, with layered atmosphere that affects the moon's wind patterns, dune spacing and cloud formation, according to media reports Tuesday citing a study in a recent issue of Nature Geoscience.

Titan is the second largest moon in the solar system with a diameter approximately 50 percent larger than the Earth's moon.

It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere; and like the Earth's atmosphere, is dominated by nitrogen.

According to the study, Titan is located nine times farther away from the sun than the Earth is, so its solar insolation -- the solar radiation energy received on the surface that determines the variation in temperature from night to day -- is quite weak.

Scientists are interested in the boundary layer of Titan's atmosphere, which is the layer that is influenced by the terrestrial surface below. In this layer, winds are slowed down due to surface friction, and as the sun heats the ground, turbulent air motions are created.

"This layer is very important for the climate and weather — we live in the terrestrial boundary layer," said study lead author Benjamin Charnay, a planetary scientist at France's National Center of Scientific Research.

By using a computer simulation to judge the interactions between the atmosphere and Titan's surface, the researchers were able to fill in the blanks to reveal an atmosphere that is strongly structured, with two distinct layers that affect wind patterns, dune spacing and cloud formation.