As a Research Scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Dr. J. Michael Battalio investigates planetary climate using remote sensing, modeling, and theoretical approaches. His research seeks a general mechanistic understanding of planetary climate systems, using comparative climatology to apply lessons from across the solar system and beyond to understand Earth. He views each planet’s climate as one instance within a continuum of possible climates, which uniquely facilitates our understanding of Earth’s changing atmosphere as it follows a trajectory along that continuum.
His work spans various spatiotemporal scales, from local weather phenomena to planetary-scale climate. Specifically, he examines changes in Earth’s modes of variability and storm tracks, as well as atmospheric rivers and atmospheric blocking. As a Participating Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) and a Collaborator on the Mars Climate Sounder, he maintains the Mars Dust Activity Database to catalog and quantify Martian dust storms. Additionally, he explores the organization of methane precipitation on Titan (Saturn’s moon), Venusian cloud cover, Jupiter’s migrating vortices, and gas giant exoplanets. By looking beyond our own world, Dr. Battalio uses critical insights from planetary systems to enhance our capacity to predict and adapt to a changing Earth.