Dr João Mendonça is building the first universal climate model for exoplanets

Dr Mendonça will be joining the University of Southampton (Physics & Astronomy and Ocean and Earth Science) to establish a new research group of 8 members focusing on planetary climate modelling. Quoting:

Building the First Universal Climate Model

Planetary climate models are essential to understanding the climate on Earth while also being windows into the many exoclimates that may exist throughout the Universe. My model, OASIS, has been developed from the ground up and aims to harness the fundamental principles governing atmospheric processes — such as fluid flow equations, moist physics, and cloud formation — to construct highly sophisticated 3D simulations.

OASIS is a robust tool for interpreting observational data from solar system planets and beyond. I aim to address the challenges of developing a universal climate model, present the different physics modules that make up the OASIS model, and show recent results of applying OASIS to different planets. I will show that OASIS successfully interprets observational data from hot gas giant planets, simulates challenging Venus-like climates, and reproduces Venus observational data. I will also describe the main advantages of using OASIS compared with other planetary models and how our new results establish OASIS as a robust and efficient tool to simulate a large diversity of planetary environments. The OASIS model offers a flexible hierarchy of complexity, providing researchers and observers with a powerful tool to guide their interpretations and future observations. This versatility allows the model to adapt to specific needs, facilitating a deeper exploration of planetary climates across the universe.