The second Madden–Julian Oscillation(MJO)event during the field campaign of the Dynamics of the MJO/Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011(DYNAMO/CINDY2011)exhibi ted an unusual double rainband structure.Using a wavenumber-frequency spectral filtering method,we unveil that this double rainband structure arises primarily from the Kelvin wave component.The zonal phase speed of the double rainbands is about 7.9 degree per day in the equatorial Indian Ocean,being in the range of convectively coupled Kelvin wave phase speeds.The convection and circulation anomalies associated with the Kelvin wave component are characterized by two anomalous convective cells,with low-level westerly(easterly)and high(low)pressure anomalies to the west(east)of the convective centers,and opposite wind and pressure anomalies in the upper troposphere.Such a zonal wind–pressure phase relationship is consistent with the equatorial free-wave dynamics.While the freeatmospheric circulation was dominated by the first baroclinic mode vertical structure,moisture and vertical motion in the boundary layer led the convection.The convection and circulation structures derived based on the conventional MJO filter show a different characteristic.For example,the phase speed is slower(about 5.9 degree per day),and there were no double convective branches.This suggests that MJO generally involves multi-scales and it is incomplete to extract its signals by using the conventional filtering technique.
The western North Pacific subtropical high(WNPSH) is an important circulation system that impacts the East Asian summer climate. The interannual variability of the WNPSH is modulated by tropical air-sea interaction. In order to make it clear which oceanic regions are crucial to the interannual variability of the WNPSH, the research progresses in this regard in the past decade are reviewed. Based on the review,it is recognized that five oceanic regions are responsible for the interannual variability of the WNPSH in summer, including the equatorial central–eastern Pacific Ocean, tropical Indian Ocean, subtropical western North Pacific, the vicinity of the maritime continent, and the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The mechanisms how the sea surface temperature anomalies(SSTAs) in these regions affect the WNPSH are elaborated.The formation mechanisms for the SSTAs in these five regions are discussed. Strengths and weaknesses of the climate models in simulating and predicting the WNPSH are also documented. Finally, key scientific problems deserving further studies are proposed.
The impact of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO) on extreme hot and cool events was investigated, by analyzing the observed and reanalysis data for the period from 1983 to 2012. It is found that the frequency of the extreme events in middle and high latitudes is significantly modulated by the BSISO convection in the tropics,with a 3–9-day lag. During phases 1 and 2 when the BSISO positive rainfall anomaly is primarily located over a northwest–southeast oriented belt extending from India to Maritime Continent and a negative rainfall anomaly appears in western North Pacific, the frequency of extreme hot events is 40% more than the frequency of non-extreme hot events. Most noticeable increase appears in midlatitude North Pacific(north of 40°N) and higher-latitude polar region. Two physical mechanisms are primarily responsible for the change of the extreme frequency. First, an upper-tropospheric Rossby wave train(due to the wave energy propagation) is generated in response to a negative heating anomaly over tropical western North Pacific in phases 1 and 2. This wave train consists of a strong high pressure anomaly center northeast of Japan, a weak low pressure anomaly center over Alaska, and a strong high pressure anomaly center over the western coast of United States. Easterly anomalies to the south of the two strong midlatitude high pressure centers weaken the climatological subtropical jet along 40°N, which is accompanied by anomalous subsidence and warming in North Pacific north of 40°N. Second, an enhanced monsoonal heating over South Asia and East Asia sets up a transverse monsoonal overturning circulation, with large-scale ascending(descending) anomalies over tropical Indian(Pacific) Ocean. Both the processes favor more frequent extreme hot events in higher-latitude Northern Hemisphere. An anomalous atmospheric general circulation model is used to confirm the tropical heating effect.
The Madden-Julian oscillation(MJO) is a dominant atmospheric low-frequency mode in the tropics.In this review article,recent progress in understanding the MJO dynamics is described.Firstly,the fundamental physical processes responsible for MJO eastward phase propagation are discussed.Next,a recent modeling result to address why MJO prefers a planetary zonal scale is presented.The effect of the seasonal mean state on distinctive propagation characteristics between northern winter and summer is discussed in a theoretical framework.Then,the observed precursor signals and the physical mechanism of MJO initiation in the western equatorial Indian Ocean are further discussed.Finally,scale interactions between MJO and higherfrequency eddies are delineated.
The sensitivity of tropical cyclone(TC) intensification to the ambient rotation effect under vertical shear is investigated. The results show that the vortices develop more rapidly with intermediate planetary vorticity, which suggests an optimal latitude for the TC development in the presence of vertical shear. This is different from the previous studies in which no mean flow is considered. It is found that the ambient rotation has two main effects. On the one hand,the boundary layer imbalance is largely controlled by the Coriolis parameter. For TCs at lower latitudes, due to the weaker inertial instability, the boundary inflow is promptly established, which results in a stronger moisture convergence and thus greater diabatic heating in the inner core region. On the other hand, the Coriolis parameter modulates the vertical realignment of the vortex with a higher Coriolis parameter, favoring a quicker vertical realignment and thus a greater potential for TC development. The combination of these two effects results in an optimal latitude for TC intensification in the presence of a vertical shear investigated.
The interannual variations of intensity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation(MJO) during boreal winter are investigated by using the observed outgoing longwave radiation(OLR) and the reanalysis data of ECMWF and NCEP.The standard deviation of 20-80-day filtered OLR anomaly is used to measure the MJO intensity.The dominant spatial structure of the interannual variability is revealed by an EOF analysis of the MJO intensity field.It is found that the leading mode is associated with eastern Pacific type ENSO,whereas the second mode is related to central Pacific type ENSO.A simple atmospheric model is used to investigate the relative roles of background moisture and wind changes in affecting the overall strength of MJO.The numerical experiments indicate that the background moisture effect is dominant while the background wind change has a minor effect.
