Dynamics Of The MJO Research Articles

Wind–Flux Feedbacks and Convective Organization during the November 2011 MJO Event in a High-Resolution Model

The November 2011 Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) event during the Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign is simulated with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) cloud-resolving model to examine the relationship between precipitation and surface latent heat flux (LHFLX) for deep convective clusters within the MJO and to discern the importance of surface LHFLX for organizing MJO convection. First, a simulation similar in size to the DYNAMO northern sounding array was run with interactive surface fluxes. Composites for precipitation, surface LHFLX, wind speed, wind vectors, and near-surface specific humidity are described for various-sized convective clusters during different MJO regimes. The precipitation–LHFLX relationship generally evolves as follows for an individual cluster. About 2 h before cluster identification, the maximum LHFLX occurs upwind of maximum precipitation. As cluster identification time is approached, LHFLX and precipitation maxima become coincident. At and after the cluster is identified, maximum LHFLXs move downwind of the precipitation maximum with a local minimum in LHFLXs behind the precipitation maximum. Sensitivity simulations with spatially homogenized LHFLXs were then run to determine the impacts of local LHFLX feedbacks on convective organization. Using area-averaged convective versus stratiform precipitation fraction and a simple convective aggregation index to quantify organization, no systematic difference in convective organization was detected between the control and sensitivity simulations, suggesting that local LHFLX variability is not important to convective organization in this model. Implications of these results are discussed.

Hindcasting the Madden-Julian Oscillation With a New Parameterization of Surface Heat Fluxes.

The recently developed maximum entropy production (MEP) model, an alternative parameterization of surface heat fluxes, is incorporated into the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. A pair of WRF cloud‐resolving experiments (5 km grids) using the bulk transfer model (WRF default) and the MEP model of surface heat fluxes are performed to hindcast the October Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO) event observed during the 2011 Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign. The simulated surface latent and sensible heat fluxes in the MEP and bulk transfer model runs are in general consistent with in situ observations from two research vessels. Compared to the bulk transfer model, the convection envelope is strengthened in the MEP run and shows a more coherent propagation over the Maritime Continent. The simulated precipitable water in the MEP run is in closer agreement with the observations. Precipitation in the MEP run is enhanced during the active phase of the MJO with significantly reduced regional dry and wet biases. Large‐scale ocean evaporation is stronger in the MEP run leading to stronger boundary layer moistening to the east of the convection center, which facilitates the eastward propagation of the MJO.

Use of an End-to-End-Simulator to Analyze CYGNSS.

Tropical convection during the onset of two Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) events, in October and December of 2011, was simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Observations from the Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign were assimilated into the WRF Model for an improved simulation of the mesoscale features of tropical convection. The WRF simulations with the assimilation of DYNAMO data produced realistic representations of mesoscale convection related to westerly wind bursts (WWBs) as well as downdraft-induced gust fronts. An end-to-end simulator (E2ES) for the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission was then applied to the WRF dataset, producing simulated CYGNSS near-surface wind speed data. The results indicated that CYGNSS could detect mesoscale wind features such as WWBs and gust fronts even in the presence of simulated heavy precipitation. This study has two primary conclusions as a consequence: 1) satellite simulators could be used to examine a mission's capabilities for accomplishing secondary tasks and 2) CYGNSS likely will provide benefits to future tropical oceanic field campaigns that should be considered during their planning processes.

Intraseasonal to interannual variability of Kelvin wave momentum fluxes as derived from high-resolution radiosonde data

Abstract. Observational estimates of Kelvin wave momentum fluxes in the tropical lower stratosphere remain challenging. Here we extend a method based on linear wave theory to estimate daily time series of these momentum fluxes from high-resolution radiosonde data. Daily time series are produced for sounding sites operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and from the recent Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign. Our momentum flux estimates are found to be robust to different data sources and processing and in quantitative agreement with estimates from prior studies. Testing the sensitivity to vertical resolution, our estimated momentum fluxes are found to be most sensitive to vertical resolution greater than 1 km, largely due to overestimation of the vertical wavelength. Climatological analysis is performed over a selected 11-year span of data from DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) radiosonde sites. Analyses of this 11-year span of data reveal the expected seasonal cycle of momentum flux maxima in boreal winter and minima in boreal summer, and variability associated with the quasi-biennial oscillation of maxima during easterly phase and minima during westerly phase. Comparison between periods with active convection that is either strongly or weakly associated with the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) suggests that the MJO provides a nontrivial increase in the lowermost stratospheric momentum fluxes.

The role of DYNAMO in situ observations in improving NASA CERES‐like daily surface and atmospheric radiative flux estimates

AbstractThe daily surface and atmospheric radiative fluxes from NASA Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) Synoptic 1 degree (SYN1deg) Ed3A are among the most widely used data to study cloud‐radiative feedback. The CERES SYN1deg data are based on Fu‐Liou radiative transfer computations that use specific humidity (Q) and air temperature (T) from NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) reanalyses as inputs and are therefore subject to the quality of those fields. This study uses in situ Q and T observations collected during the Dynamics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign to augment the input stream used in the NASA GMAO reanalysis and assess the impact on the CERES daily surface and atmospheric longwave estimates. The results show that the assimilation of DYNAMO observations considerably improves the vertical profiles of analyzed Q and T over and near DYNAMO stations by moistening and warming the lower troposphere and upper troposphere and drying and cooling the mid‐upper troposphere. As a result of these changes in Q and T, the computed CERES daily surface downward longwave flux increases by about 5 W m−2, due mainly to the warming and moistening in the lower troposphere; the computed daily top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) outgoing longwave radiation increases by 2–3 W m−2 during dry periods only. Correspondingly, the estimated local atmospheric longwave radiative cooling enhances by about 5 W m−2 (7–8 W m−2) during wet (dry) periods. These changes reduce the bias in the CERES SYN1deg‐like daily longwave estimates at both the TOA and surface and represent an improvement over the DYNAMO region.

Cold Pools and Their Influence on the Tropical Marine Boundary Layer

Abstract Cold pools dominate the surface temperature variability observed over the central Indian Ocean (0°, 80°E) for 2 months of research cruise observations in the Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) experiment in October–December 2011. Cold pool fronts are identified by a rapid drop of temperature. Air in cold pools is slightly drier than the boundary layer (BL). Consistent with previous studies, cold pools attain wet-bulb potential temperatures representative of saturated downdrafts originating from the lower midtroposphere. Wind and surface fluxes increase, and rain is most likely within the ~20-min cold pool front. Greatest integrated water vapor and liquid follow the front. Temperature and velocity fluctuations shorter than 6 min achieve 90% of the surface latent and sensible heat flux in cold pools. The temperature of the cold pools recovers in about 20 min, chiefly by mixing at the top of the shallow cold wake layer, rather than by surface flux. Analysis of conserved variables shows mean BL air is composed of 51% air entrained from the BL top (800 m), 22% saturated downdrafts, and 27% air at equilibrium with the ocean surface. The number of cold pools, and their contribution to the BL heat and moisture, nearly doubles in the convectively active phase compared to the suppressed phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation.

Relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection during DYNAMO.

The relationships between radiation, clouds, and convection on an intraseasonal time scale are examined with data taken during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) field campaign. Specifically, column-net, as well as vertical profiles of radiative heating rates, computed over Gan Island in the central Indian Ocean (IO) are used along with an objective analysis of large-scale fields to examine three MJO events that occurred during the 3 month period (October to December 2011) over this region. Longwave (LW) and shortwave radiative heating rates exhibit tilted structures, reflecting radiative effects associated with the prevalence of shallow cumulus during the dry, suppressed MJO phase followed by increasing deep convection leading into the active phase. As the convection builds going into the MJO active phase, there are increasingly top-heavy anomalous radiative heating rates while the column-net radiative cooling rate <Qr > progressively decreases. Temporal fluctuations in the cloud radiative forcing, being quite sensitive to changes in high cloudiness, are dominated by LW effects with an intraseasonal variation of ~0.4-0.6 K/d. While both the water vapor and cloud fields are inextricably linked, it appears that the tilted radiative structures are more related to water vapor effects. The intraseasonal variation of column-net radiative heating <Qr > enhances the convective signal in the mean by ~20% with a minimum in this enhancement ~10 days prior to peak MJO rainfall and maximum ~7 days after. This suggests that as MJO convective envelope weakens over the central IO, cloud-radiative feedbacks help maintain the mature MJO as it moves eastward.

Interactions between the MJO, Aerosols, and Convection over the Central Indian Ocean

Abstract This study examines covariability of boundary layer cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations [estimated using the GEOS 3D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem)], convective clouds, precipitation, and lightning observed over the central equatorial Indian Ocean (CIO). Three distinct Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) episodes were observed during the recent Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO; 2011/12) field campaign. Coherent relationships between CCN, rainfall, and lightning are apparent in time series from DYNAMO and more lightning located north of the equator is noted, compared to south of the equator. More-polluted environments north of the equator contained deep convective clouds that had stronger radar reflectivities (~2–3 dB) in the mixed-phase region (5–10-km altitude) compared to south of the equator. Following discussion of the MJO episodes that occurred during DYNAMO, 22 cycles of the MJO observed during boreal cold seasons in the years 2004–11 are examined with the aid of TRMM satellite observations. Climatological results suggest that horizontal transport of continental aerosols from proximal landmasses by the large-scale circulation after active MJO convection reinforces the meridional gradient of CCN concentrations in the CIO. Satellite observations depicted comparable aggregate cold cloud feature area in both regions in similar thermodynamic environments, leading to the suggestion that higher CCN concentrations north of the equator act to invigorate convection. Direct comparisons of convective intensity metrics to CCN support the aerosol hypothesis; however, in line with previous studies, it is acknowledged that conditional instability, vertical wind shear, and environmental moisture can modulate the initial development of deep convection over the CIO during select phases of the MJO.

The Role of Topographically Induced Vortices in Tropical Cyclone Formation over the Indian Ocean

Abstract The role of Sumatra and adjacent topographic features in tropical cyclone (TC) formation over the Indian Ocean (IO) is investigated. Sumatra, as well as the Malay Peninsula and Java, have mountainous terrain that partially blocks low-level flow under typical environmental stratification. For easterly low-level flow, these terrain features often produce lee vortices, some of which subsequently shed and move westward from the northern and southern tips of Sumatra and thence downstream over the IO. Since Sumatra straddles the equator, extending in a northwest–southeast direction from approximately 6°N to 6°S, the lee vortices, while counter-rotating, are both cyclonic. Hence, they can serve as initial disturbances that eventually contribute to TC formation over the IO. In addition, low-level, equatorial westerly flow impinging on Sumatra is also typically blocked and diverges, at times contributing to cyclonic circulations over the IO, primarily near the southern end of the island. Data from two recent tropical campaigns, the 2008–10 Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC) and the 2011 Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO), are used to study these phenomena. These datasets reveal the frequent occurrence of shed and nonshed terrain-induced cyclonic circulations over the IO, the majority of which occur during boreal fall and winter. During the 2.5 yr of the two campaigns, 13 wake vortices (13% of the shed circulations identified) were tracked and observed to subsequently develop into TCs over the northern and southern IO, accounting for 25% of the total TCs forming in the IO during that period.

Impact of the Madden–Julian Oscillation on the Indonesian Throughflow in the Makassar Strait during the CINDY/DYNAMO Field Campaign

Abstract Previous studies indicate that equatorial zonal winds in the Indian Ocean can significantly influence the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF). During the Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability (CINDY)/Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign, two strong MJO events were observed within a month without a clear suppressed phase between them, and these events generated exceptionally strong ocean responses. Strong eastward currents along the equator in the Indian Ocean lasted more than one month from late November 2011 to early January 2012. The influence of these unique MJO events during the field campaign on ITF variability is investigated using a high-resolution (1/25°) global ocean general circulation model, the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM). The strong westerlies associated with these MJO events, which exceed 10 m s−1, generate strong equatorial eastward jets and downwelling near the eastern boundary. The equatorial jets are realistically simulated by the global HYCOM based on the comparison with the data collected during the field campaign. The analysis demonstrates that sea surface height (SSH) and alongshore velocity anomalies at the eastern boundary propagate along the coast of Sumatra and Java as coastal Kelvin waves, significantly reducing the ITF transport at the Makassar Strait during January–early February. The alongshore velocity anomalies associated with the Kelvin wave significantly leads SSH anomalies. The magnitude of the anomalous currents at the Makassar Strait is exceptionally large because of the unique feature of the MJO events, and thus the typical seasonal cycle of ITF could be significantly altered by strong MJO events such as those observed during the CINDY/DYNAMO field campaign.

A Lagrangian View of Moisture Dynamics During DYNAMO.

Column water vapor (CWV) is studied using data from the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field experiment. A distinctive moist mode in tropical CVW probability distributions motivates the work. The Lagrangian CWV tendency (LCT) leaves together the compensating tendencies from phase change and vertical advection, quantities which cannot be measured accurately by themselves, to emphasize their small residual, which governs evolution. The slope of LCT vs. CWV suggests that the combined effects of phase changes and vertical advection act as a robust positive feedback on CWV variations, while evaporation adds a broadscale positive tendency. Analyzed diabatic heating profiles become deeper and stronger as CWV increases. Stratiform heating is found to accompany Lagrangian drying at high CWV, but its association with deep convection makes the mean LCT positive at high CWV. Lower-tropospheric wind convergence is found in high-CVW airmasses, acting to shrink their area in time. When ECMWF heating profile indices and S-POL and TRMM radar data are binned jointly by CWV and LCT, bottom-heavy heating associated with shallow and congestus convection is found in columns transitioning through Lagrangian moistening into the humid, high-rainrate mode of the CWV distribution near 50-55mm, while non-raining columns and columns with widespread stratiform precipitation are preferentially associated with Lagrangian drying. Interpolated sounding-array data produce substantial errors in LCT budgets, because horizontal advection is inaccurate without satellite input to constrain horizontal gradients.

Aircraft Observations of Dry Air, the ITCZ, Convective Cloud Systems, and Cold Pools in MJO during DYNAMO

Abstract One of the most challenging problems in predicting the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is the initiation of large-scale convective activity associated with the MJO over the tropical Indian Ocean. The lack of observations is a major obstacle. The Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign collected unprecedented observations from air-, land-, and ship-based platforms from October 2011 to February 2012. Here we provide an overview of the aircraft observations in DYNAMO, which captured an MJO initiation event from November to December 2011. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D aircraft was stationed at Diego Garcia and the French Falcon 20 aircraft on Gan Island in the Maldives. Observations from the two aircraft provide a unique dataset of three-dimensional structure of convective cloud systems and their environment from the flight level, airborne Doppler radar, microphysics probes, ocean surface imaging, global positioning system (GPS) dropsonde, and airborne expendable bathythermograph (AXBT) data. The aircraft observations revealed interactions among dry air, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), convective cloud systems, and air–sea interaction induced by convective cold pools, which may play important roles in the multiscale processes of MJO initiation. This overview focuses on some key aspects of the aircraft observations that contribute directly to better understanding of the interactions among convective cloud systems, environmental moisture, and the upper ocean during the MJO initiation over the tropical Indian Ocean. Special emphasis is on the distinct characteristics of convective cloud systems, environmental moisture and winds, air–sea fluxes, and convective cold pools during the convectively suppressed, transition/onset, and active phases of the MJO.

Modeling the MJO in a cloud‐resolving model with parameterized large‐scale dynamics: Vertical structure, radiation, and horizontal advection of dry air

AbstractTwo Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) events, observed during October and November 2011 in the equatorial Indian Ocean during the DYNAMO field campaign, are simulated in a limited‐area cloud‐resolving model using parameterized large‐scale dynamics. Three parameterizations of large‐scale dynamics—the conventional weak temperature gradient (WTG) approximation, vertical mode‐based spectral WTG (SWTG), and damped gravity wave coupling (DGW)—are employed. A number of changes to the implementation of the large‐scale parameterizations, as well as the model itself, are made and lead to improvements in the results. Simulations using all three methods, with imposed time‐dependent radiation and horizontal moisture advection, capture the time variations in precipitation associated with the two MJO events well. The three methods produce significant differences in the large‐scale vertical motion profile, however. WTG produces the most top‐heavy profile, while DGW's is less so, and SWTG produces a profile between the two, and in better agreement with observations. Numerical experiments without horizontal advection of moisture suggest that that process significantly reduces the precipitation and suppresses the top‐heaviness of large‐scale vertical motion during the MJO active phases. Experiments in which a temporally constant radiative heating profile is used indicate that radiative feedbacks significantly amplify the MJO. Experiments in which interactive radiation is used produce agreement with observations that is much better than that achieved in previous work, though not as good as that with imposed time‐varying radiative heating. Our results highlight the importance of both horizontal advection of moisture and radiative feedbacks to the dynamics of the MJO.

Diagnosing DYNAMO convection with weak temperature gradient simulations

AbstractDetermining relationships between convective and environmental diagnostics can improve our understanding of mechanisms controlling tropical convection, and consequently, result in better representations of convection in coarsely resolved models. We identify important diagnostic relationships in observations taken during the Dynamics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) campaign and perform weak temperature gradient (WTG) simulations of DYNAMO convection to determine if the observed relationships are reproduced in our model. We find that the WTG approximation models local changes in the diagnostics used in the study—precipitation rate, atmospheric stability, moisture, and gross moist stability (GMS)—and reproduces diagnostic relationships suggested in previous studies; an increase in precipitation rate is correlated with increased atmospheric moisture content, which, in turn, is correlated with greater atmospheric stability. Large‐scale atmospheric stability—changes of which might be related to balanced dynamics, we speculate—seems to be a candidate for a convective controlling mechanism. Observed and modeled interactions of local convection with the large‐scale environment—quantified by the GMS—are in agreement with the theory of Inoue and Back (2015b); the GMS increases from small, positive or negative, values during developing convection and further increases for decaying convection past a critical GMS found at peak precipitation rates, atmospheric stability, and moisture content. Understanding the link between the critical GMS and the diagnostics—still a standing problem—could further our understanding of interactions between local convection and the large‐scale environment.

Evolution, Properties, and Spatial Variability of MJO Convection near and off the Equator during DYNAMO

Abstract This study investigates the evolution, structure, and spatial variability of Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) convection observed during the 2011/12 Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field campaign. Generally, the C-band radars located in the near-equatorial Indian Ocean—Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radar (SMART-R) on Addu Atoll (Gan) and NASA TOGA on the R/V Roger Revelle (Revelle)—observed similar trends in echo-top heights, stratiform rain fraction, and precipitation feature size across the MJO life cycle. These trends are closely related to changes in mid- to upper-tropospheric moisture, sea surface temperature (SST), zonal wind, and diagnosed vertical air motions. However, the evolution of convection, moisture, and vertical air motion at the R/V Mirai (Mirai), located in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) at 8°S, exhibited a pattern nearly opposite to Gan and Revelle. When the MJO was active over the equator, convection was suppressed around Mirai owing to induced subsidence by the strong upward motion to the north. SST and zonal winds near Mirai were nearly invariant across the MJO life cycle, indicating little influence from the MJO in these fields. Compared to Gan and Revelle, Mirai had a significant amount of precipitation that fell from shallow and isolated convection. There were subtle differences in the evolution and properties of the convection observed between Gan and Revelle. Deep convection occurred slightly earlier at Gan compared to Revelle, consistent with the west-to-east progression of the MJO in the central Indian Ocean. Furthermore, convective deepening was more gradual over Revelle compared to Gan, especially during the October MJO event.

A Momentum Budget Analysis of Westerly Wind Events Associated with the Madden–Julian Oscillation during DYNAMO

Abstract The Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign was conducted over the Indian Ocean (IO) from October 2011 to February 2012 to investigate the initiation of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). Three MJOs accompanying westerly wind events (WWEs) occurred in late October, late November, and late December 2011. Momentum budget analysis is conducted to understand the contributions of the dynamical processes involved in the wind evolution associated with the MJO over the IO during DYNAMO using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts analysis. This analysis shows that westerly acceleration at lower levels associated with the MJO active phase generally appears to be maintained by the pressure gradient force (PGF), which could be partly canceled by meridional advection of the zonal wind. Westerly acceleration in the midtroposphere tends to be mostly attributable to vertical advection. The results herein imply that there is no simple linear dynamic model that can capture the WWEs associated with the MJO and that nonlinear processes have to be considered. In addition, the MJO in November (MJO2), accompanied by two WWEs (WWE1 and WWE2) spaced a few days apart, is diagnosed. Unlike other WWEs during DYNAMO, horizontal advection is more responsible for the westerly acceleration in the lower troposphere for WWE2 than the PGF. Interactions between the MJO2 envelope and convectively coupled waves (CCWs) are analyzed to illuminate the dynamical contribution of these synoptic-scale equatorial waves to the WWEs. The authors suggest that different developing processes among WWEs can be attributed to different types of CCWs.

Retrieval of Slant Water Vapor Path and Slant Liquid Water from Microwave Radiometer Measurements during the DYNAMO Experiment

Observations during the Dynamics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) experiment focused on sensing atmospheric parameters, including vertical moisture profiles, cloud structure, precipitation processes, and planetary boundary layer properties, all of which are important for understanding and modeling the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO). These observations were performed using a variety of in-situ and remote sensors, including the S-band polarimetric and Ka-band (S-PolKa) radar, deployed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and a colocated University of Miami microwave radiometer (UM-radiometer) operating at 23.8 and 30.0 GHz. These instruments sampled approximately the same volumes of the atmosphere at a variety of azimuth and elevation angles. The principal goal of this study is to develop a new retrieval strategy to estimate slant water vapor path (SWP) and slant liquid water (SLW) using UM-radiometer measurements from zenith to low elevation angles at a variety of azimuth angles. Retrievals of SWP along the radar signal path help to determine the error in radar reflectivity due to water vapor absorption. The retrieval algorithm has been developed using the vapor–liquid water ratio (VLWR) as well as both modeled and measured brightness temperatures for zenith to low elevation angles. Observation system simulation experiment (OSSE) results and measured radiosonde data have been used to determine that the retrieval uncertainty is less than 5% for integrated water vapor (IWV) and less than 12% for integrated liquid water (ILW). OSSE results for SWP show that the retrieval uncertainty is less than 8% at 5° elevation angle and less than 5% at 7° and 9°, while the mean difference between SWP retrieved from radiometer measurements and those retrieved from the S-PolKa radar during the DYNAMO campaign is less than 10% at 5° elevation angle and less than 7.5% at 7° and 9°. OSSE results for SLW show that the mean error is less than 24% for 5° elevation angle and less than 18% for 7° and 9°. Such retrievals of SWP and SLW help to characterize the distribution of water vapor and liquid water in the lower troposphere, which in turn may contribute to improvements in forecasting of convective initiation and precipitation.

A Filter for Removing Sidelobe Artifacts in Bragg Scattering Layer (BSL) Analysis for S-Band Radar

AbstractThe local environment during the joint Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM) Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) Investigation Experiment (AMIE)–Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in Year 2011 (CINDY2011)–Dynamics of the MJO (DYNAMO) field experiments caused frequent occurrences of sidelobe artifacts in the NCAR S-Pol radar dataset. Although generally low in radar reflectivity factor value (less than 5 dBZ), this contamination still proved problematic for Bragg scattering layer (BSL) analysis, generating numerous false BSL edge detections. In this paper, a statistical filtering technique is developed that effectively removes these false BSL edge detections, utilizing a new version of BSL analysis based on range–height indicator (RHI) data instead of plan position indicator data.

Evolution of precipitation and convective echo top heights observed by TRMM radar over the Indian Ocean during DYNAMO

AbstractRadar data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission show the evolution of echo tops of convective elements over the Indian Ocean and Maritime Continent during the Dynamics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign of 2011–2012. Echo top heights exhibited a bimodal distribution wherein cumulonimbi of moderate height constituted a “congestus mode” while vertically extensive cumulonimbus made up a “deep mode.” An intraseasonal time scale dominated variability in these modes from October to January over much of the Indian Ocean. Over the Maritime Continent, there was no clear intraseasonal signal in convective echo top heights. Where the intraseasonal oscillation was detected, radar echoes evolved from being dominated by the congestus mode to being characterized by more deep mode convection on time scales of less than 1 week. The areal coverage of congestus echoes began to increase 2–8 days prior to the rise in area of deep echoes. These satellite‐derived results confirm that the time scale for convective deepening seen at individual DYNAMO observational sites is consistent with that of convection on the large scale over the Indian Ocean. Intraseasonal variability of zonal wind, temperature, and humidity as depicted by reanalysis is also consistent with that derived from rawinsonde observations during DYNAMO. Thus, the gradual buildup of convection as depicted by recent versions of the “discharge‐recharge” hypothesis does not accurately describe evolutions of convection prior to MJO events observed during DYNAMO, although cloud moistening processes may still be relevant on time scales of 1 week or less.

Objective Diagnostics and the Madden–Julian Oscillation. Part I: Methodology

AbstractDiagnostics 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.