Changes in the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation projected by the CNRM-CM5 model under the RCP 8.5 scenario

Climate Dynamics - The 30–60-day boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) is the predominant intraseasonal variability in the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) region, representing the...     

Boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations in the MJO skeleton model with observation-based forcing

The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) skeleton model is a low-order model for intraseasonal oscillations that, in an extended form, includes off-equatorial and antisymmetric components. Previous studies of this extended model have used an idealized background state and forcing terms. In the current study, observation-based estimates of these forcing terms and background state are used. Linear solutions to the extended model with this observation-based forcing consist of both equatorially-symmetric convective events and events with a meridional tilt reminiscent of composites of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) in observational studies. Solutions to a nonlinear stochastic form of the model exhibit realistic precipitation mean and variance and intraseasonal variability throughout much of the tropics. These solutions contain several types of events, including meridionally-tilted convective activity that moves both northward and eastward. Solutions to both forms of the model also indicate that this BSISO-like convective activity is coupled to activity over the eastern Pacific. A discussion of these features and their agreement with previous observational studies of the BSISO is given.     

The boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation simulated by four Chinese AGCMs participating in the CMIP5 project

The performances of four Chinese AGCMs participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5） in the simulation of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation （BSISO） are assessed. The authors focus on the major characteristics of BSISO： the intensity, significant period, and propagation. The results show that the four AGCMs can reproduce boreal summer intraseasonal signals of precipitation; however their limitations are also evident. Compared with the Climate Prediction Center Merged Analysis of Precipitation （CMAP） data, the models underestimate the strength of the intraseasonal oscillation （ISO） over the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean （IO） during the boreal summer （May to October）, but overestimate the intraseasonal variability over the western Pacific （WP）. In the model results, the westward propagation dominates, whereas the eastward propagation dominates in the CMAP data. The northward propagation in these models is tilted southwest-northeast, which is also different from the CMAP result. Thus, there is not a northeast-southwest tilted rain belt revolution off the equator during the BSISO＇s eastward journey in the models. The biases of the BSISO are consistent with the summer mean state, especially the vertical shear. Analysis also shows that there is a positive feedback between the intraseasonal precipitation and the summer mean precipitation. The positive feedback processes may amplify the models＇ biases in the BSISO simulation.     

Bimodal representation of the tropical intraseasonal oscillation

The tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) shows distinct variability centers and propagation patterns between boreal winter and summer. To accurately represent the state of the ISO at any particular time of a year, a bimodal ISO index was developed. It consists of Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) mode with predominant eastward propagation along the equator and Boreal Summer ISO (BSISO) mode with prominent northward propagation and large variability in off-equatorial monsoon trough regions. The spatial–temporal patterns of the MJO and BSISO modes are identified with the extended empirical orthogonal function analysis of 31?years (1979–2009) OLR data for the December–February and June–August period, respectively. The dominant mode of the ISO at any given time can be judged by the proportions of the OLR anomalies projected onto the two modes. The bimodal ISO index provides objective and quantitative measures on the annual and interannual variations of the predominant ISO modes. It is shown that from December to April the MJO mode dominates while from June to October the BSISO mode dominates. May and November are transitional months when the predominant mode changes from one to the other. It is also shown that the fractional variance reconstructed based on the bimodal index is significantly higher than the counterpart reconstructed based on the Wheeler and Hendon’s index. The bimodal ISO index provides a reliable real time monitoring skill, too. The method and results provide critical information in assessing models’ performance to reproduce the ISO and developing further research on predictability of the ISO and are also useful for a variety of scientific and practical purposes.     

Eastward propagating MJO during boreal summer and Indian monsoon droughts

Improved understanding of underlying mechanism responsible for Indian summer monsoon (ISM) droughts is important due to their profound socio-economic impact over the region. While some droughts are associated with ‘external forcing’ such as the El-Niño and Southern Oscillation (ENSO), many ISM droughts are not related to any known ‘external forcing’. Here, we unravel a fundamental dynamic process responsible for droughts arising not only from external forcing but also those associated with internal dynamics. We show that most ISM droughts are associated with at least one very long break (VLB; breaks with duration of more than 10 days) and that the processes responsible for VLBs may also be the mechanism responsible for ISM droughts. Our analysis also reveals that all extended monsoon breaks (whether co-occurred with El-Niño or not) are associated with an eastward propagating Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) in the equatorial Indian Ocean and western Pacific extending to the dateline and westward propagating Rossby waves between 10° and 25°N. The divergent Rossby wave associated with the dry phase of equatorial convection propagates westward towards Indian land, couple with the northward propagating dry phase and leads to the sustenance of breaks. Thus, the propensity of eastward propagating MJO during boreal summer is largely the cause of monsoon droughts. While short breaks are not accompanied by westerly wind events (WWE) over equatorial western Pacific favorable for initiating air–sea interaction, all VLBs are accompanied by sustained WWE. The WWEs associated with all VLB during 1975–2005 initiate air–sea interaction on intraseasonal time scale, extend the warm pool eastward allowing the convectively coupled MJO to propagate further eastward and thereby sustaining the divergent circulation over India and the monsoon break. The ocean–atmosphere coupling on interannual time scale (such as El-Niño) can also produce VLB, but not necessary.     

Simulations of Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillations with the Climate Forecast System,version 2, over India and the Western Pacific: Role of Air–Sea Coupling

In this study, we examine the characteristics of the boreal summer monsoon intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) using the second version of the Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) and revisit the role of air–sea coupling in BSISO simulations. In particular, simulations of the BSISO in two carefully designed model experiments are compared: a fully coupled run and an uncoupled atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) run with prescribed sea surface temperatures (SSTs). In these experiments an identical AGCM is used, and the daily mean SSTs from the coupled run are prescribed as a boundary condition in the AGCM run. Comparisons indicate that air–sea coupling plays an important role in realistically simulating the BSISO in CFSv2. Compared with the AGCM run, the coupled run not only simulates the spatial distributions of intraseasonal rainfall variations better but also shows more realistic spectral peaks and northward and eastward propagation features of the BSISO over India and the western Pacific. This study indicates that including an air–sea feedback mechanism may have the potential to improve the realism of the mean flow and intraseasonal variability in the Indian and western Pacific monsoon region.     

北半球夏季大气低频振荡演变特征及其与华北夏季降水的关系

本文采用1981～2010年夏季5～10月逐日的（10°S～50°N,40°E～160°E）范围内向外长波辐射OLR（Outgoing Longwave Radiation）资料和850 hPa层纬向风速资料（简称U850）作经验EOF（Empirical Orthogonal Function）分解,重新计算北半球夏季大气低频振荡BSISO（Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation）指数,并分析了其演变特征及其对华北夏季降水的影响规律。结果表明:（1）在北半球夏季印度洋—西北太平洋地区存在两种明显的低频信号,一种是BSISO1,空间分布呈西北—东南倾斜状,从热带印度洋向东北方向传播,振荡周期约为45 d;另一种是BSISO2,空间分布呈西南—东北倾斜状,从西北太平洋向西北方向传播,振荡周期约为20 d。（2）BSISO主要是通过影响大气环流和水汽输送来影响华北夏季降水过程。在500 hPa层,BSISO信号会造成华北地区东部副热带高压位置南北移动和强度发生变化来影响华北夏季降水;在850 hPa层,BSISO信号会通过伴随的气旋性或反气旋性异常环流影响向华北的水汽输送来影响华北夏季降水。（3）虽然热带大气季节内振荡MJO（Madden-Julian Oscillation）信号在全年都存在,但其变化在冬半年尤其冬季振幅最大,在夏季最小。BSISO信号变化在夏半年尤其夏季振幅最大。因此,利用热带大气低频信号开展延伸期降水过程预测,冬半年可以重点考虑MJO的影响,夏半年重点考虑BSISO的影响。     

Examination of multi-perturbation methods for ensemble prediction of the MJO during boreal summer

The impact of initialization and perturbation methods on the ensemble prediction of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation was investigated using 20-year hindcast predictions of a coupled general circulation model. The three perturbation methods used in the present study are the lagged-averaged forecast (LAF) method, the breeding method, and the empirical singular vector (ESV) method. Hindcast experiments were performed with a prediction interval of 10 days for extended boreal summer (May–October) seasons over a 20 year period. The empirical orthogonal function (EOF) eigenvectors of the initial perturbations depend on the individual perturbation method used. The leading EOF eigenvectors of the LAF perturbations exhibit large variances in the extratropics. Bred vectors with a breeding interval of 3 days represent the local unstable mode moving northward and eastward over the Indian and western Pacific region, and the leading EOF modes of the ESV perturbations represent planetary-scale eastward moving perturbations over the tropics. By combining the three perturbation methods, a multi-perturbation (MP) ensemble prediction system for the intraseasonal time scale was constructed, and the effectiveness of the MP prediction system for the Madden and Julian oscillation (MJO) prediction was examined in the present study. The MJO prediction skills of the individual perturbation methods are all similar; however, the MP‐based prediction has a higher level of correlation skill for predicting the real-time multivariate MJO indices compared to those of the other individual perturbation methods. The predictability of the intraseasonal oscillation is sensitive to the MJO amplitude and to the location of the dominant convective anomaly in the initial state. The improvement in the skill of the MP prediction system is more effective during periods of weak MJO activity.     

北半球夏季热带季节内振荡影响我国夏季降水的规律和预测方法

利用1979—2018年夏季逐日观测和再分析数据,对北半球夏季热带季节内振荡影响我国夏季降水的规律和预测方法开展了研究。首先,利用非传统滤波即异常相对倾向（Anomalous Relative Tendency,ART）方法获取了气象要素的次季节变化分量,并采用EOF分析方法提取了北半球夏季热带主要季节内振荡信号,结果表明向外长波辐射（Outgoing Longwave Radiation,OLR）异常相对倾向EOF前两个模态共同反映了北半球夏季起源于印度洋并向东和向北传播的、具有30~60 d周期的季节内振荡（Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation,BSISO）信号。回归分析表明,该季节内振荡信号能够导致当地及其北面地区低层风场和位势高度场异常,影响该地区及其北面地区的水汽辐合辐散,从而能引起我国尤其是我国南方地区季节内旱涝变化,并一定程度上反映了我国异常雨带的向北推进过程。而后,将提取的热带主要季节内振荡信号作为预测因子,将降水异常相对倾向作为先行预板对象,利用多元线性回归方法构建了我国夏季旬降水异常相对倾向的预报模型,将预报的旬降水异常相对倾向加上观测已知的降水近期背景距平,从而得到旬降水距平的预报结果。通过历史回报和交叉检验,评估了该模型对梅雨期我国江淮流域降水（包括2020年梅汛期异常降水）的次季节预测能力。     

Decadal change in the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation

A decadal change in activity of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) was identified at a broad scale. The change was more prominent during August–October in the boreal summer. The BSISO activity during 1999–2008 (P2) was significantly greater than that during 1984–1998 (P1). Compared to P1, convection in the BSISO was enhanced and the phase speed of northward-propagating convection was reduced in P2. Under background conditions, warm sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in P2 were apparent over the tropical Indian Ocean and the western tropical Pacific. The former supplied favorable conditions for the active convection of the BSISO, whereas the latter led to a strengthened Walker circulation through enhanced convection. This induced descending anomalies over the tropical Indian Ocean. Thermal convection tends to be suppressed by descending anomalies, whereas once an active BSISO signal enters the Indian Ocean, convection is enhanced through convective instability by positive SST anomalies. After P2, the BSISO activity was weakened during 2009–2014 (P3). Compared to P2, convective activity in the BSISO tended to be inactive over the southern tropical Indian Ocean in P3. The phase speed of the northward-propagating convection was accelerated. Under background conditions during P3, warmer SST anomalies over the maritime continent enhance convection, which strengthened the local Hadley circulation between the western tropical Pacific and the southern tropical Indian Ocean. Hence, the convection in the BSISO over the southern tropical Indian Ocean was suppressed. The decadal change in BSISO activity correlates with the variability in seasonal mean SST over the tropical Asian monsoon region, which suggests that it is possible to predict the decadal change.

     

Evaluation of subseasonal impacts of the MJO/BSISO in the East Asian extended summer

The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO)/Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation (BSISO) has been considered an important climate mode of variability on subseasonal timescales for East Asian summer. However, it is unclear how well the MJO/BSISO indices would serve as guidance for subseasonal forecasts. Using a probabilistic forecast model determined through multiple linear regression (MLR) with MJO, ENSO, and long-term trend as predictors, we examine lagged impacts of each predictor on East Asia extended summer (May–October) climate from 1982 to 2015. The forecast skills of surface air temperature (T2m) contributed by each predictor is evaluated for lead times out to five weeks. We also provide a systematic evaluation of three commonly used, real-time MJO/BSISO indices in the context of lagged temperature impacts over East Asia. It is found that the influence of the trend provides substantial summertime skill over broad regions of East Asia on subseasonal timescales. In contrast, the MJO influence shows regional as well as phase dependence outside the tropical band of the main action centers of the MJO convective anomalies. All three MJO/BSISO indices generate forecasts that yield high skill scores for week 1 forecasts. For some initial phases of the MJO/BSISO, skill reemerges over some regions for lead times of 3–5 weeks. This emergence indicates the existence of windows of opportunity for skillful subseasonal forecasts over East Asia in summer. We also explore the dynamics that contribute to the elevated skills at long lead times over Tibet and Taiwan–Philippine regions following the initial state of phases 7 and 5, respectively. The elevated skill is rooted in a wave train forced by the MJO convective heating over the Arabian Sea and feedbacks between MJO convection and SSTs in Taiwan–Philippine region. Two out of the three commonly used MJO/BSISO indices tend to identify MJO events that evolve consistently in time, allowing them to serve as reliable predictors for subseasonal forecasts for up to 5 weeks.

     

MJO prediction in the NCEP Climate Forecast System version 2

The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the primary mode of tropical intraseasonal climate variability and has significant modulation of global climate variations and attendant societal impacts. Advancing prediction of the MJO using state of the art observational data and modeling systems is thus a necessary goal for improving global intraseasonal climate prediction. MJO prediction is assessed in the NOAA Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2) based on its hindcasts initialized daily for 1999–2010. The analysis focuses on MJO indices taken as the principal components of the two leading EOFs of combined 15°S–15°N average of 200-hPa zonal wind, 850-hPa zonal wind and outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. The CFSv2 has useful MJO prediction skill out to 20 days at which the bivariate anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC) drops to 0.5 and root-mean-square error (RMSE) increases to the level of the prediction with climatology. The prediction skill also shows a seasonal variation with the lowest ACC during the boreal summer and highest ACC during boreal winter. The prediction skills are evaluated according to the target as well as initial phases. Within the lead time of 10 days the ACC is generally greater than 0.8 and RMSE is less than 1 for all initial and target phases. At longer lead time, the model shows lower skills for predicting enhanced convection over the Maritime Continent and from the eastern Pacific to western Indian Ocean. The prediction skills are relatively higher for target phases when enhanced convection is in the central Indian Ocean and the central Pacific. While the MJO prediction skills are improved in CFSv2 compared to its previous version, systematic errors still exist in the CFSv2 in the maintenance and propagation of the MJO including (1) the MJO amplitude in the CFSv2 drops dramatically at the beginning of the prediction and remains weaker than the observed during the target period and (2) the propagation in the CFSv2 is too slow. Reducing these errors will be necessary for further improvement of the MJO prediction.     

Factors Limiting the Forecast Skill of the Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation in a Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Model

In this study,we evaluate the forecast skill of the subseasonal-to-seasonal(S2S)prediction model of the Beijing Climate Center(BCC)for the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation(BSISO).We also discuss the key factors that inhibit the BSISO forecast skill in this model.Based on the bivariate anomaly correlation coefficient(ACC)of the BSISO index,defined by the first two EOF modes of outgoing longwave radiation and 850-hPa zonal wind anomalies over the Asian monsoon region,we found that the hindcast skill degraded as the lead time increased.The ACC dropped to below 0.5for lead times of 11 days and longer when the predicted BSISO showed weakened strength and insignificant northward propagation.To identify what causes the weakened forecast skill of BSISO at the forecast lead time of 11 days,we diagnosed the main mechanisms responsible for the BSISO northward propagation.The same analysis was also carried out using the observations and the outputs of the four-day forecast lead that successfully predicted the observed northward-propagating BSISO.We found that the lack of northward propagation at the 11-day forecast lead was due to insufficient increases in low-level cyclonic vorticity,moistening and warm temperature anomalies to the north of the convection,which were induced by the interaction between background mean flows and BSISO-related anomalous fields.The BCC S2S model can predict the background monsoon circulations,such as the low-level southerly and the northerly and easterly vertical shears,but has limited capability in forecasting the distributions of circulation and moisture anomalies.     

Influences of ENSO on boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation over the western Pacific in decaying summer

Climate Dynamics - Characteristics of boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) over the western Pacific in ENSO decaying summer are revealed in this study. BSISO activity over the western...     

Coupled model simulations of boreal summer intraseasonal (30–50 day) variability, Part 1: Systematic errors and caution on use of metrics

Boreal summer intraseasonal (30–50 day) variability (BSISV) over the Asian monsoon region is more complex than its boreal winter counterpart, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), since it also exhibits northward and northwestward propagating convective components near India and over the west Pacific. Here we analyze the BSISV in the CMIP3 and two CMIP2+ coupled ocean–atmosphere models. Though most models exhibit eastward propagation of convective anomalies over the Indian Ocean, difficulty remains in simulating the life cycle of the BSISV, as few represent its eastward extension into the western/central Pacific. As such, few models produce statistically significant anomalies that comprise the northwest to southeast tilted convection, which results from the forced Rossby waves that are excited by the near-equatorial convective anomalies. Our results indicate that it is a necessary, but not sufficient condition, that the locations the time-mean monsoon heat sources and the easterly wind shear be simulated correctly in order for the life cycle of the BSISV to be represented realistically. Extreme caution is needed when using metrics, such as the pattern correlation, for assessing the fidelity of model performance, as models with the most physically realistic BSISV do not necessarily exhibit the highest pattern correlations with observations. Furthermore, diagnostic latitude-time plots to evaluate the northward propagation of convection from the equator to India and the Bay of Bengal also need to be used with caution. Here, incorrectly representing extratropical–tropical interactions can give rise to “apparent” northward propagation when none exists in association with the eastward propagating equatorial convection. Despite these cautions, the use of multiple cross-checking diagnostics enables the fidelity of the simulation of the BSISV to be meaningfully assessed.     

Intraseasonal variability of latent-heat flux in the South China Sea

Intraseasonal variability (ISV) of latent-heat flux in the South China Sea (SCS) is examined using 9 years of weekly data from January 1998 to December 2006. Using harmonic and composite analysis, some fundamental features of the latent-heat flux ISVs are revealed. Intraseasonal latent-heat flux has two spectral peaks around 28–35 and 49–56 days, comparable with the timescales of the atmospheric ISV in the region. Active monsoon is clearly correlated with positive and negative phases of the ISV of latent-heat flux in the SCS. The characteristics of the intraseasonal latent-heat flux variations in summer are remarkably different from those in winter. The amplitudes of significant intraseasonal oscillations are about 35 and 80 W?m^?2 during summer and winter monsoons, respectively. In summer, the intraseasonal latent-heat flux perturbations are characterized by slow eastward (about 1° latitude/day) and slower northward (about 0.75° longitude/day) propagations, probably in a response to eastward and northward propagating Madden-Julian oscillations (MJOs) from the equatorial Indian Ocean. In contrast, the perturbations appear to remain in the northern SCS region like a quasi-stationary wave in winter. In summer, the intraseasonal latent-heat flux fluctuations are highly correlated with wind speed. In winter, however, they are primarily associated with winds and near-surface air humidity. In addition, the intraseasonal SST variation is estimated to significantly reduce the amplitude of the intraseasonal latent-heat flux by 20% during winter.     

Impact of MJO on the intraseasonal variation of summer monsoon rainfall over India

The summer monsoon rainfall over India exhibits strong intraseasonal variability. Earlier studies have identified Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) as one of the most influencing factors of the intraseasonal variability of the monsoon rainfall. In this study, using India Meteorological Department (IMD) high resolution daily gridded rainfall data and Wheeler?CHendon MJO indices, the intra-seasonal variation of daily rainfall distribution over India associated with various Phases of eastward propagating MJO life cycle was examined to understand the mechanism linking the MJO to the intraseasonal variability. During MJO Phases of 1 and 2, formation of MJO associated positive convective anomaly over the equatorial Indian Ocean activated the oceanic tropical convergence zone (OTCZ) and the resultant changes in the monsoon circulation caused break monsoon type rainfall distribution. Associated with this, negative convective anomalies over monsoon trough zone region extended eastwards to date line indicating weaker than normal northern hemisphere inter tropical convergence zone (ITCZ). The positive convective anomalies over OTCZ and negative convective anomalies over ITCZ formed a dipole like pattern. Subsequently, as the MJO propagated eastwards to west equatorial Pacific through the maritime continent, a gradual northward shift of the OTCZ was observed and negative convective anomalies started appearing over equatorial Indian Ocean. During Phase 4, while the eastwards propagating MJO linked positive convective anomalies activated the eastern part of the ITCZ, the northward propagating OTCZ merged with monsoon trough (western part of the ITCZ) and induced positive convective anomalies over the region. During Phases 5 and 6, the dipole pattern in convective anomalies was reversed compared to that during Phases 1 and 2. This resulted active monsoon type rainfall distribution over India. During the subsequent Phases (7 and 8), the convective and lower tropospheric anomaly patterns were very similar to that during Phase 1 and 2 except for above normal convective anomalies over equatorial Indian Ocean. A general decrease in the rainfall was also observed over most parts of the country. The associated dry conditions extended up to northwest Pacific. Thus the impact of the MJO on the monsoon was not limited to the Indian region. The impact was rather felt over larger spatial scale extending up to Pacific. This study also revealed that the onset of break and active events over India and the duration of these events are strongly related to the Phase and strength of the MJO. The break events were relatively better associated with the strong MJO Phases than the active events. About 83% of the break events were found to be set in during the Phases 7, 8, 1 and 2 of MJO with maximum during Phase 1 (40%). On the other hand, about 70% of the active events were set in during the MJO Phases of 3 to 6 with maximum during Phase 4 (21%). The results of this study indicate an opportunity for using the real time information and skillful prediction of MJO Phases for the prediction of break and active conditions which are very crucial for agriculture decisions.     

Intraseasonal atmospheric variability and its interannual modulation in Central Africa

The spatial and temporal structures of the intraseasonal atmospheric variability over central Africa is investigated using 2.5°?×?2.5° daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis zonal winds for the period 1980–2010. The study begins with an overview of the Central African rainfall regime, noting in particular the contrast amongst Western and Eastern parts, with different topography and surface conditions features. The annual mean rainfall and OLR over the region revealed a zone of intense convective activity centered on the equator near 30°E, which extends southward and covers almost all the Congo forest. The annual cycle of rainfall reflects the classical bi-annual shift of Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone across the equatorial belt, between 10°S and 10°N. The result of the empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) analysis has shown that the three leading EOF modes explain about 45?% of total intraseasonal variability. The power spectra of all the three corresponding principal components (PCs) peak around 45–50?days, indicating a Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) signal. The first mode exhibits high positive loadings over Northern Congo, the second over Southern Ethiopia and the third over Southwestern Tanzania. The PCs time series revealed less interannual modulation of intraseasonal oscillations for the Congo mode, while Ethiopian and Tanzanian modes exhibit strong interannual variations. H?vmoller plots of OLR, 200 and 850?hPa NCEP zonal winds found the eastward propagating features to be the dominant pattern in all the three times series, but this propagation is less pronounced in the OLR than in the 850 and 200?hpa zonal wind anomalies. An index of MJO strength was built by averaging the 30–50?day power for each day. A plot of MJO indices and El Ni?o Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle confirm a strong interannual modulation of MJO over Eastern central Africa partially linked with the ENSO events (El Ni?o and La Ni?a). Strong MJO activity is observed during La Ni?a years or during ENSO-neutral years, while weak or absent MJO activity is typically associated with strong El Ni?o episodes.     

印度洋海温年际异常与热带夏季季节内振荡的关系及其数值模拟研究

利用观测分析资料和SINTEX-F海气耦合长时间(70年)数值模拟结果,分析了印度洋海温年际异常与热带夏季季节内振荡(BSISO)各种传播模态之间关系及其物理过程。结果表明,印度洋海温年际异常与热带BSISO关系密切,当印度洋为正(负)偶极子情况,中东印度洋北传BSISO减弱(加强);当印度洋为正(负)海盆异常(BWA)情况,印度洋西太平洋赤道地区(40°E -180°)东传BSISO加强(减弱)。印度洋海温年际变化通过大气环流背景场和BSISO结构影响热带BSISO不同传播模态强度的年际变化。在负(正)偶极子年夏季,由于对流层大气垂直东风切变加强(减弱),对流扰动北侧的正压涡度、边界层水汽辐合加强更明显(不明显),导致形成BSISO较强(弱)的经向不对称结构,因此北传BSISO偏强(减弱)。印度洋BWA模态通过影响赤道西风背景以及海气界面热力交换,导致赤道东传BSISO强度产生变化。在正BWA年夏季,赤道地区西风较明显,当季节内振荡叠加在这种西风背景下,扰动中心的东侧(西侧)风速减弱(加强)更明显,海面蒸发及蒸发潜热减弱(加强)更明显,导致扰动中心的东侧(西侧)海温升高(降低)幅度更大,从而使边界层产生辐合(辐散)更强、水汽更多(少),因此赤道东传BSISO偏强;而在负BWA年,赤道地区西风背景减弱,以上物理过程受削弱使赤道东传BSISO偏弱。     

Origins of Quasi-Biweekly and Intraseasonal Oscillations over the South China Sea and Bay of Bengal and Scale Selection of Unstable Equatorial and Off-Equatorial Modes

The daily outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) field in boreal summer shows significant power spectrum peaks on quasi-biweekly (10–20-day) and intraseasonal (20-80-day) timescales over the Indo-western Pacific warm pool, especially over the South China Sea and Bay of Bengal. The quasi-biweekly oscillation (QBWO) originates from off-equatorial western North Pacific, and is characterized by a northwest-southeast oriented wave train pattern, propagating northwestward. The intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), on the other hand, originates from the equatorial Indian Ocean and propagates eastward and northward. Why the equatorial mode possesses a 20–80-day periodicity while the off-equatorial mode favors a 10–20-day periodicity is investigated through idealized numerical experiments with a 2.5-layer atmospheric model. In the off-equatorial region, the model simulates, under a realistic three-dimensional summer mean flow, the most unstable mode that has a wave train pattern with a typical zonal wavelength of 6000 km and a period of 10–20 days, propagating northwestward. This is in contrast to the equatorial region, where a Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) like mode with a planetary (wavenumber-1) zonal scale and a period ranging from 20 to 80 days is simulated. Sensitivity experiments with different initial conditions indicate that the QBWO is an intrinsic mode of the atmosphere in boreal summer in the off-equatorial Indo-western Pacific region under the summer mean state, while the MJO is the most unstable mode in the equatorial region.