Academic literature on the topic 'Madden-Julian Oscillation Index'

Abstract This study assesses the ability of the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4) to represent the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), the dominant mode of intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere. The U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) MJO Working Group’s prescribed diagnostic tests are used to evaluate the model’s mean state, variance, and wavenumber–frequency characteristics in a 20-yr simulation of the intraseasonal variability in zonal winds at 850 hPa (U850) and 200 hPa (U200), and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). Unlike its predecessor, CCSM4 reproduces a number of aspects of MJO behavior more realistically. The CCSM4 produces coherent, broadbanded, and energetic patterns in eastward-propagating intraseasonal zonal winds and OLR in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans that are generally consistent with MJO characteristics. Strong peaks occur in power spectra and coherence spectra with periods between 20 and 100 days and zonal wavenumbers between 1 and 3. Model MJOs, however, tend to be more broadbanded in frequency than in observations. Broad-scale patterns, as revealed in combined EOFs of U850, U200, and OLR, are remarkably consistent with observations and indicate that large-scale convergence–convection coupling occurs in the simulated MJO. Relations between MJO in the model and its concurrence with other climate states are also explored. MJO activity (defined as the percentage of time the MJO index exceeds 1.5) is enhanced during El Niño events compared to La Niña events, both in the model and observations. MJO activity is increased during periods of anomalously strong negative meridional wind shear in the Asian monsoon region and also during strong negative Indian Ocean zonal mode states, in both the model and observations.

Abstract The large-scale equatorial circulation known as the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) has been shown to impact tropical cyclone activity in several basins around the globe. In this paper, the author utilizes an MJO index created by Wheeler and Hendon to examine its impacts on tropical genesis and intensification in the Atlantic. Large differences in frequency and intensity of tropical cyclone activity are seen, both in the tropical Atlantic as well as in the northwest Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico depending on the MJO phase. Coherent changes in upper- and lower-level winds and relative humidity are likely responsible for these differences. Since the MJO shows potential predictability out to about two weeks, the relationships discussed in this paper may be useful for short-term predictions of the probability of tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic as a complement to the already available longer-term seasonal predictions.

Abstract A new Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) index is developed from a combined empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of meridionally averaged 200-hPa velocity potential (VP200), 200-hPa zonal wind (U200), and 850-hPa zonal wind (U850). Like the Wheeler–Hendon Real-time Multivariate MJO (RMM) index, which was developed in the same way except using outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data instead of VP200, daily data are projected onto the leading pair of EOFs to produce the two-component index. This new index is called the velocity potential MJO (VPM) indices and its properties are quantitatively compared to RMM. Compared to the RMM index, the VPM index detects larger-amplitude MJO-associated signals during boreal summer. This includes a slightly stronger and more coherent modulation of Atlantic tropical cyclones. This result is attributed to the fact that velocity potential preferentially emphasizes the planetary-scale aspects of the divergent circulation, thereby spreading the convectively driven component of the MJO’s signal across the entire globe. VP200 thus deemphasizes the convective signal of the MJO over the Indian Ocean warm pool, where the OLR variability associated with the MJO is concentrated, and enhances the signal over the relatively drier longitudes of the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic. This work provides a useful framework for systematic analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of different MJO indices.

Abstract The most widely accepted characterization of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the bivariate index developed by Wheeler and Hendon. This index relies in part on satellite-based observations of outgoing longwave radiation and thus is not defined for the presatellite era. The MJO is known to have a strong signature in surface pressure, and daily measurements of this variable are available as far back as the late nineteenth century. This study undertakes a statistical reconstruction of the Wheeler and Hendon MJO index from 1905 to 2008 based on tropical surface pressures estimated recently by the twentieth-century reanalysis project. The temporal and spectral properties of the reconstructed index are first shown to be consistent with the Wheeler and Hendon index over the common period (1979–2008). The reconstructed index is then validated over the earlier period (1905–1978) by examining its relationship with cloud cover, surface wind, precipitation, and sea level. These relationships are shown to be consistent with corresponding results obtained from the Wheeler and Hendon index over the shared period and stable over the earlier period. Finally, a simple damped harmonic oscillator model is used to gain new insights into the predictability of the MJO index and also demonstrate consistency between the reconstructed index and the Wheeler and Hendon index. These results give confidence in the validity of the historical reconstruction of the MJO index over the last century.

Abstract Diagnostics obtained as an extension of empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis are shown to address many disadvantages of using EOF-based indices to assess the state of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). The real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index and the filtered MJO OLR (FMO) index are used to demonstrate these diagnostics. General characteristics of the indices, such as the geographical regions that most heavily influence each index, are assessed using the diagnostics. The diagnostics also identify how a given field, at various geographical locations, influences the index value at a given time. Termination (as defined by the RMM index) of the October 2011 MJO event that occurred during the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011 (CINDY) Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign is shown to have resulted from changes in zonal wind anomalies at 200 hPa over the eastern Pacific Ocean, despite the onset of enhanced convection in the Indian Ocean and the persistence of favorable lower- and upper-level zonal wind anomalies near this region. The diagnostics objectively identify, for each specific geographical location, the index phase where the largest MJO-related anomalies in a given field are likely to be observed. This allows for the geographical variability of anomalous conditions associated with the MJO to be easily assessed throughout its life cycle. In Part II of this study, unique physical insight into the moist static energy and moisture budgets of the MJO is obtained from the application of diagnostics introduced here.

Abstract Existing numerical models produce large error in simulating the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), thereby underestimating its predictability. In this paper, the predictability limit of the MJO is determined by the nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent approach, which provides an estimate of atmospheric predictability based on the observational data. The results show that the predictability limit of the MJO obtained from the bandpass-filtered (30–80 days) outgoing longwave radiation and wind fields, which serves as an empirical estimate of the theoretical potential predictability of the MJO, can exceed 5 weeks, which is well above the 1-week predictability of background noise caused by bandpass filtering. In contrast, a real-time analysis of MJO predictability using the real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index, as introduced by Wheeler and Hendon, reveals a predictability limit of about 3 weeks. The findings reported here raise the possibility of obtaining a higher predictability limit in real-time prediction by improving the RMM index or by introducing a better method of extracting intraseasonal signals.

Abstract Based on the bivariate Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) index defined by Wheeler and Hendon and 25 yr (1979–2004) of pentad data, the association between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the MJO on the intraseasonal time scale during the Northern Hemisphere winter season is analyzed. Time-lagged composites and probability analysis of the NAO index for different phases of the MJO reveal a statistically significant two-way connection between the NAO and the tropical convection of the MJO. A significant increase of the NAO amplitude happens about 5–15 days after the MJO-related convection anomaly reaches the tropical Indian Ocean and western Pacific region. The development of the NAO is associated with a Rossby wave train in the upstream Pacific and North American region. In the Atlantic and African sector, there is an extratropical influence on the tropical intraseasonal variability. Certain phases of the MJO are preceded by the occurrence of strong NAOs. A significant change of upper zonal wind in the tropical Atlantic is caused by a modulated transient westerly momentum flux convergence associated with the NAO.

Abstract One of the most commonly used metrics for both locating the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) geographically and defining the intensity of MJO convective activity is the real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index. However, a climatology of the MJO, particularly with respect to the frequency of activity levels or of consecutive days at certain activity thresholds, does not yet exist. Thus, several climatological aspects of the MJO were developed in this study: 1) annual and 2) seasonal variability in MJO intensity, quantified using four defined activity categories (inactive, active, very active, and extremely active); 3) persistence in the above-defined four categories; 4) cycle length; and 5) low-frequency (decadal) variability. On an annual basis, MJO phases 1 and 2 occurred more often, and phase 8 occurred less often, than the other phases throughout the year. Notable seasonality was also found, particularly in the frequency of extremely active MJO in March–May (8% of days) compared with June–August (only 1% of days). The MJO was persistent in time and across intensity categories, and all activity categories the following day had at least an 80% chance of maintaining their amplitudes. Implications of this climatology are discussed, including length of complete MJO cycles (the shortest of which was 17 days) and correlations between MJO amplitude and atmospheric response.

Abstract There is increasing evidence that the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) modifies the mid- to high-latitude circulation and, in particular, appears to have a relationship to the leading mode of extratropical variability, the Arctic Oscillation (AO). In this study, new insights into the observed similarities between the MJO and the AO are explored. It is shown that the eastward progression of the convectively active phase of the MJO is associated with a corresponding shift in the tendency and sign of the AO index. Moreover, the AO and the MJO share several analogous features not only in the global circulation, but also in surface temperature fields. Also, the AO is linked to a pattern of eastward-propagating MJO-like variability in the tropics that is partially reproduced in free runs of the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS) model. Finally, it is shown that the structure of the AO, as defined by the leading mode in the 1000-hPa geopotential height field, is significantly altered based on the phase of the MJO.

AbstractRecent studies have examined moist entropy (ME) as a proxy for moist static energy (MSE) and the relative role of the underlying processes responsible for changes in ME that potentially affect MJO propagation. This study presents an analysis of the intraseasonally varying (ISV) ME anomalies throughout the lifetime of observed MJO events. A climatology of continuing and terminating MJO events is created from an event identification algorithm using common tracking indices including the OLR-based MJO index (OMI), filtered OMI (FMO), real-time multivariate MJO (RMM), and velocity potential MJO (VPM) index. ME composites for all indices show a statistically significant break in the wavenumber-1 oscillation at day 0 for terminating events in nearly all domains except RMM phase 6 and phase 7. The ME tendency is decomposed into horizontal and vertical advection, sensible and latent heat fluxes, and shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes using ERA-Interim data. The relative role of each processes toward the eastward propagation is discussed as well as their effects on MJO stabilization. Statistically significant differences occur for all terms by day −10. A domain sensitivity test is performed where eastward propagation is favored for vertical advection given a larger, asymmetric domain for continuing events. A reduced eastward propagation from vertical advection is evident 2–3 days before similar differences in horizontal advection for terminating events. The importance of horizontal advection for the eastward propagation of the MJO is discussed in addition to the relative destabilization from vertical advection in the convectively suppressed region downstream of future terminating MJOs.

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the dominant component of the intraseasonal atmospheric variability in the tropics. The MJO signal consists of deep convection and overturning atmospheric zonal circulations propagating slowly eastward along the equator. Wheeler and Hendon (2004) developed a method of extracting the MJO signal based on the two leading empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of the combined fields of near-equatorially averaged zonal wind at 850-hPa and 200-hPa as well as the observed outgoing long wave radiation (OLR). The length of this index in time is severely limited by the inclusion of the OLR data, as this time series only goes back to June 1974 and becomes a problem when trying to study the long-term aspects of the MJO. A modified index based on a combined EOF analysis of the 200-hPa and 850-hPazonal wind fields is developed and validated against Wheeler and Hendon's index. This allows the limitation of the relatively short OLR data set to be circumvented, as wind reanalysis data extends back farther in time, while keeping the benefit of a high MJO signal extraction through combined EOF analysis. As the results show, the new index yields nearly identical results to the older, more restrictive index. Therefore, the modified index is used to analyze the behavior of the MJO on time scales longer than the inter-annual, MJO- ENSO interaction and the ability of the Global Environmental Multiscale(GEM) model to represent the MJO.
L'Oscillation de Madden-Julian (MJO) est la composante dominante de la variabilité atmosphérique intra-saisonnière dans les tropiques. Le signal MJO consiste en une convection profonde et d'une circulation zonale se propageant lentement vers l'Est le long de l'Équateur. Wheeler et Hendon (2004) ont développé une méthode pour extraire le signal du MJO basée sur les deux fonctions orthogonales empiriques dominantes (EOFs) des champs combinés du vent zonal à 850-hPa et 200-hPa près de l'Équateur ainsi que la radiation de large onde sortante (OLR). L'étendue temporelle de cet indice est sévèrement limitée par l'inclusion des données OLR, puisque ces données sont disponnibles seulement depuis juin 1974, limitant l'étude des aspects àlong terme du MJO. Un indice modifié, basé sur l'analyse EOF combinée du vent zonal à 200-hPa et 850-hPa est developpé et validé avec l'indice de Wheeler et Hendon. Ceci permet l'élimination les limitations associées à la disponibilité des données OLR étant donné que les réanalyses numériques présentent des données de vent pour une période plus étendue et ceci en gardant les bénéfices d'une extraction robuste du signal du MJO par analyse EOF combinée. Comme les résultats le montrent, le nouvel indice présente des résultats presques identiques à l'ancienne et plus restrictive version de l'indice. L'indice modifié est donc utilisé pour analyser le comportement du MJO sur des échelles temporelles au delà de l'échelle saisonnière, les interactions MJO-ENSO et la capacité du modèle Global Environmental Multi-Échelle (GEM) à représenter le MJO.

The Madden-Julian Oscillation is a tropical atmospheric phenomenon detected as anomalies in zonal winds, convection and cloudiness. This perturbation has a definitive timescale of about thirty to sixty days, allowing its signal to be extracted from background data. The Madden-Julian Oscillation originates over the western Indian Ocean and generates a convective region which moves east along the equatorial region. This perturbation is thought to contribute to the timing and intensity of the eastern hemisphere monsoons, the El Niño/ Southern Oscillation and tropical storms and cyclones. The current understanding of the Madden-Julian Oscillation is that it restricts the bulk of its' influence to the tropics, however some evidence suggested that the impact is more extensive. Analysis of about 30 years of data showed significant modulation of rainfall by the equatorial passage of the MJO. The real-time multivariate Madden-Julian Oscillation Index was used to estimate the location and amplitude of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, and forms the basis of the basic rainfall prediction tool developed. The method developed here clearly linked the low latitude passage of the Madden-Julian Oscillation with suppressed and enhanced rainfall events in the Australasian region and beyond. A rudimentary forecasting capability at the intraseasonal time scale has been developed suitable for assisting Australian agricultural sector. A subsequent and independent analysis of global mean sea level pressure anomalies provided evidence of teleconnections between the Madden-Julian Oscillation and higher latitude atmospheric entities. These anomalies confirm the existence of teleconnections capable of producing the rainfall pattern outputs. The MJO is strongly influenced by the season. However the seasonally dependant analysis of rainfall with respect to the Madden Julian Oscillation conducted was inconclusive, suggesting aspects of the MJO influence still require clarification. Considering the importance of rainfall variability to the Australian agricultural sector the forecasting tool developed, although basic, is significant.