About the project
This project aims to explore the turbulent atmosphere of Jupiter using cutting-edge 3D climate simulations. It combines high-performance computing, advanced modelling, and international collaboration to uncover the mechanisms behind giant storms, multiple jets, and exotic weather.
Simulating the turbulent atmosphere of Jupiter is one of the great challenges in planetary science. The planet’s rapid 10-hour rotation and unique conditions provide an exceptional laboratory for testing climate models under extreme regimes. Understanding the physics behind Jupiter’s climate is key to explaining the striking diversity of atmospheric phenomena, such as multiple jets, giant storms, and complex turbulence, that shape its dynamic weather.
For decades, models of Jupiter’s circulation have offered only qualitative comparisons to observations. These approaches often rely on assumptions tuned specifically to Jupiter and remain limited in scope. This project aims to go beyond the current state of the art. You will use , a cutting-edge computational model of planetary climates, to perform 3D simulations of Jupiter and Jupiter-like atmospheres at unprecedented levels of detail.
The project will give you access to high-performance computing facilities, international collaborations, visits to partner research groups abroad, and advanced training in modern computational methods for planetary climate science. Research directions include:
- investigating the role of cloud physics in driving large-scale storms and other dynamical features
- analysing simulations at unprecedented spatial resolution
- identifying the mechanisms behind the global distribution of ammonia
- exploring how these mechanisms operate under higher levels of stellar irradiation
You will join the new and growing Planetary Sciences group at the University of Southampton.
