scholarly journals Identifying the MJO, Equatorial Waves, and Their Impacts Using 32 Years of HIRS Upper-Tropospheric Water Vapor

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1418-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Schreck ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
James P. Kossin ◽  
John J. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves ◽  
Intersatellite Calibration ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and convectively coupled equatorial waves are the dominant modes of synoptic-to-subseasonal variability in the tropics. These systems have frequently been examined with proxies for convection such as outgoing longwave radiation (OLR). However, upper-tropospheric water vapor (UTWV) gives a more complete picture of tropical circulations because it is more sensitive to the drying and warming associated with subsidence. Previous studies examined tropical variability using relatively short (3–7 yr) UTWV datasets. Intersatellite calibration of data from the High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) has recently produced a homogeneous 32-yr climate data record of UTWV for 200–500 hPa. This study explores the utility of HIRS UTWV for identifying the MJO and equatorial waves. Spectral analysis shows that the MJO and equatorial waves stand out above the low-frequency background in UTWV, similar to previous findings with OLR. The fraction of variance associated with the MJO and equatorial Rossby waves is actually greater in UTWV than in OLR. Kelvin waves, on the other hand, are overshadowed in UTWV by horizontal advection from extratropical Rossby waves. For the MJO, UTWV identifies subsidence drying in the subtropics, poleward of the convection. These dry anomalies are associated with the MJO’s subtropical Rossby gyres. MJO events with dry anomalies over the central North Pacific Ocean also amplify the 200-hPa flow pattern over North America 7 days later. These events cannot be identified using equatorial OLR alone, which demonstrates that UTWV is a useful supplement for identifying the MJO, equatorial waves.

scholarly journals Thermocline Circulation in the Solomon Sea: A Modeling Study*

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1302-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélique Melet ◽  
Lionel Gourdeau ◽  
William S. Kessler ◽  
Jacques Verron ◽  
Jean-Marc Molines
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Solomon Islands ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Equatorial Undercurrent ◽  
Boundary Currents ◽  
Equatorial Current ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
New Britain

Abstract In the southwest Pacific, thermocline waters connecting the tropics to the equator via western boundary currents (WBCs) transit through the Solomon Sea. Despite its importance in feeding the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) and its related potential influence on the low-frequency modulation of ENSO, the circulation inside the Solomon Sea is poorly documented. A model has been implemented to analyze the mean and the seasonal variability of the Solomon Sea thermocline circulation. The circulation involves an inflow from the open southern Solomon Sea, which is distributed via WBCs between the three north exiting straits of the semiclosed Solomon Sea. The system of WBCs is found to be complex. Its main feature, the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent, splits in two branches: one flowing through Vitiaz Strait and the other one, the New Britain Coastal Undercurrent (NBCU), exiting at Solomon Strait. East of the Solomon Sea, the encounter of the South Equatorial Current (SEC) with the Solomon Islands forms a previously unknown current, which the authors call the Solomon Islands Coastal Undercurrent (SICU). The NBCU, SEC, and SICU participate in the feeding of the New Ireland Coastal Undercurrent (NICU), which retroflects to the Equatorial Undercurrent, providing the most direct western boundary EUC connection, which is particularly active in June–August. The Solomon Sea WBC seasonal variability results from the combination of equatorial dynamics, remotely forced Rossby waves north of 10°S, and the spinup and spindown of the subtropical gyre as a response of Rossby waves forced south of 10°S.

scholarly journals Tropical Cyclone as a Possible Remote Controller of Air Quality over South Korea through Poleward-Propagating Rossby Waves

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (11) ◽  
pp. 2523-2530
Author(s):  
Doo-Sun R. Park ◽  
Chang-Hoi Ho ◽  
Dasol Kim ◽  
Nam-Young Kang ◽  
Yeojin Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Tropical Cyclone ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Rossby Wave Train ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractAir quality depends as much on large-scale tropospheric circulation as on the amount of pollutant emissions. Many studies have found a relationship between air quality and midlatitude synoptic weather systems. A stable low-level troposphere and airflow from polluted areas are conditions that favor air pollution in a region. However, few studies have focused on the possible remote effect of tropical cyclone (TC) activity in the tropics on air quality in the midlatitude East Asian countries. Here, we found that TCs in the South China Sea (SCS) can increase the concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 μm (PM10) over South Korea through poleward-propagating Rossby waves. According to our analyses, intense divergence due to a TC causes a barotropic Rossby wave train from the SCS to the North Pacific Ocean. Anomalous highs over the Korean Peninsula (part of the Rossby wave train) result in stable air conditions and cause polluted air inflow to increase the PM10 concentration up to 65 μg m−3. Our finding suggests that TC activity in the tropics should be considered for more accurate forecasts of air quality in South Korea.

Opposite Phases of the Antarctic Oscillation and Relationships with Intraseasonal to Interannual Activity in the Tropics during the Austral Summer

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 702-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila M. V. Carvalho ◽  
Charles Jones ◽  
Tércio Ambrizzi
Keyword(s):  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Antarctic Oscillation ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract The Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) has been observed as a deep oscillation in the mid- and high southern latitudes. In the present study, the AAO pattern is defined as the leading mode of the empirical orthogonal function (EOF-1) obtained from daily 700-hPa geopotential height anomalies from 1979 to 2000. Here the objective is to identify daily positive and negative AAO phases and relationships with intraseasonal activity in the Tropics and phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) during the austral summer [December–January–February (DJF)]. Positive and negative AAO phases are defined when the daily EOF-1 time coefficient is above (or below) one standard deviation of the DJF mean. Composites of low-frequency sea surface temperature variation, 200-hPa zonal wind, and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) indicate that negative (positive) phases of the AAO are dominant when patterns of SST, convection, and circulation anomalies resemble El Niño (La Niña) phases of ENSO. Enhanced intraseasonal activity from the Tropics to the extratropics of the Southern (Northern) Hemisphere is associated with negative (positive) phases of the AAO. In addition, there is indication that the onset of negative phases of the AAO is related to the propagation of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). Suppression of intraseasonal convective activity over Indonesia is observed in positive AAO phases. It is hypothesized that deep convection in the central tropical Pacific, which is related to either El Niño or eastward-propagating MJO, or a combination of both phenomena, modulates the Southern Hemisphere circulation and favors negative AAO phases during DJF. The alternation of AAO phases seems to be linked to the latitudinal migration of the subtropical upper-level jet and variations in the intensity of the polar jet. This, in turn, affects extratropical cyclone properties, such as origin, minimum/maximum central pressure, and their equatorward propagation.

Tropical Precipitation Variability and Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves on Submonthly Time Scales in Reanalyses and TRMM

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 3013-3030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Eun Kim ◽  
M. Joan Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Precipitation Variability ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Tropical Precipitation ◽  
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves ◽  
Precipitation Characteristics ◽  
Equatorial Wave

Abstract Tropical precipitation characteristics are investigated using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3-hourly estimates, and the result is compared with five reanalyses including the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) reanalysis (NCEP1), NCEP–U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reanalysis (NCEP2), and NCEP–Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). Precipitation characteristics are evaluated in terms of the mean, convectively coupled equatorial wave activity, frequency characteristics, diurnal cycle, and seasonality of regional precipitation variability associated with submonthly scale waves. Generally the latest reanalyses such as ERA-Interim, MERRA, and CFSR show better performances than NCEP1 and NCEP2. However, all the reanalyses are still different from observations. Besides the positive mean bias in the reanalyses, a spectral analysis revealed that the reanalyses have overreddened spectra with persistent rainfall. MERRA has the most persistent rainfall, and CFSR appears to have the most realistic variability. The diurnal cycle in NCEP1 is extremely exaggerated relative to TRMM. The low-frequency waves with the period longer than 3 days are relatively well represented in ERA-Interim, MERRA, and CFSR, but all the reanalyses have significant deficiencies in representing convectively coupled equatorial waves and variability in the high-frequency range.

scholarly journals Variation of Radar-Observed Precipitation Characteristics in Relation to the Simultaneous Passages of a Madden-Julian Oscillation Event and Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves during the Years of the Maritime Continent Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biao Geng ◽  
Masaki Katsumata
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Frequency Variation ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
Maritime Continent ◽  
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves ◽  
Precipitation Characteristics ◽  
Before And After

AbstractIn this study, we examined the variations of precipitation morphology and rainfall in relation to the simultaneous passages of a Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) event and convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs) observed during the Years of the Maritime Continent pilot study. We utilized globally merged infrared brightness temperature data and the radiosonde and radar data observed aboard the research vessel Mirai at 4°4′S, 101°54′E. As well as the observed MJO event, equatorial Rossby waves (ERWs), Kelvin waves (KWs), and mixed Rossby-gravity waves (MRGWs) were identified. The radar data exhibited high-frequency variation, mainly caused by KWs and MRGWs, and low-frequency variation, mainly caused by the MJO and ERWs. The MRGWs predominantly modulated convective echo areas and both convective and stratiform volumetric rainfall. In contrast, the MJO event had little influence on the variance of convective echoes. Moreover, stratiform echo areas and volumetric rainfall were more strongly modulated by the combined effects of the MJO, ERWs, KWs, and MRGWs than their convective counterparts. The intense development of stratiform echo areas and volumetric rainfall was coherent with the superimposition of the active phases of the MJO event and all the analyzed CCEWs. The strongest development and a significant reduction of convective echo-top heights before and after the peak MJO date, respectively, were coherent with the passages of ERWs and MRGWs, which were the dominant wave types in modulating echo-top heights. Thus, it appears that the superimposition of the CCEWs on the MJO event exerted complex modulations on the convective activities within the MJO event.

scholarly journals Effect of Overturning Circulation on Long Equatorial Waves: A Low-Frequency Cutoff

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1721-1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Back ◽  
Joseph A. Biello
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Meridional Circulation ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Hadley Cell ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Kelvin Wave ◽  
Background Flow ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Equatorial Wave

Zonally long tropical waves in the presence of a large-scale meridional and vertical overturning circulation are studied in an idealized model based on the intraseasonal multiscale moist dynamics (IMMD) theory. The model consists of a system of shallow-water equations describing barotropic and first baroclinic vertical modes coupled to one another by the zonally symmetric, time-independent background circulation. To isolate the effects of the meridional circulation alone, an idealized background flow is chosen to mimic the meridional and vertical components of the flow of the Hadley cell; the background flow meridionally converges and rises at the equator. The resulting linear eigenvalue problem is a generalization of the long-wave-scaled version of Matsuno’s equatorial wave problem with the addition of meridional and vertical advection. The results demonstrate that the meridional circulation couples equatorially trapped baroclinic Rossby waves to planetary, barotropic free Rossby waves. The meridional circulation also causes the Kelvin wave to develop an equatorially trapped barotropic component, imparting a westward-tilted vertical structure to the wave. The total energy of the linear system is positive definite, so all waves are shown to be neutrally stable. A critical layer exists at latitudes where the meridional background flow vanishes, resulting in a minimum frequency cutoff for physically feasible waves. Therefore, linear Matsuno waves with periods longer than the vertical transport time of the meridional circulation do not exist in the equatorial waveguide. This implies a low-frequency cutoff for long equatorial waves.

scholarly journals Identifying Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves Using Theoretical Wave Eigenvectors

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 2235-2264 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Reed Ogrosky ◽  
Samuel N. Stechmann
Keyword(s):  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Warm Pool ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Space Time ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract Convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs) are often identified by space–time filtering techniques that make use of the eigenvalues of linear shallow water theory. Here, instead, a method is presented for identifying CCEWs by projection onto the eigenvectors of the theory. This method does not use space–time filtering; instead, wave signals corresponding to the first baroclinic Kelvin, Rossby, and mixed Rossby–gravity (MRG) waves are constructed from reanalysis data by a series of projections onto (i) vertical and meridional modes and (ii) the wave eigenvectors. In accordance with the theory, only dry variables, that is, winds and geopotential height, are used; no proxy for convection is used. Using lag–lead regression, composites of the structures associated with each eigenvector signal during boreal summer are shown to contain all the features of the theory as well as some additional features seen in previous observational studies, such as vertical tilts. In addition, these composites exhibit propagation in good agreement with the theory in certain regions of the tropics: over the eastern Pacific ITCZ for the Kelvin and MRG composites and over the Pacific warm pool for the Rossby composite. In these respective regions, the Kelvin eigenvector signal is also in good agreement with space–time-filtered outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and the Rossby and MRG eigenvector signals are in reasonable agreement with space–time-filtered OLR; it is shown that the eigenvector projections used here contribute to this agreement. Finally, a space–time-filtered version of the eigenvector projection is briefly discussed, as are potential applications of the method.

Projection of Tropical Cyclones on Wavenumber–Frequency-Filtered Equatorial Waves

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 3653-3658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anantha Aiyyer ◽  
Ademe Mekonnen ◽  
Carl J. Schreck
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
North Pacific Ocean ◽  
Global Climate Model ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Equatorial Wave ◽  
Climate Model Simulations ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of localized convection associated with tropical cyclones (TCs) on activity ascribed to equatorial waves is estimated. An algorithm is used to remove outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) signal in the vicinity of observed tropical cyclones, and equatorial wave modes are extracted using the standard wavenumber–frequency decomposition method. The results suggest that climatological activity of convection-coupled equatorial waves is overestimated where TC tracks are densest. The greatest impact is found for equatorial Rossby (ER)- and tropical depression (TD)-type waves followed by the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). The basins most affected are the eastern and western North Pacific Ocean where, on average, TCs may contribute up to 10%–15% of the climatological wave amplitude variance in these modes. In contrast, Kelvin waves are least impacted by the projection of TCs. The results are likely relevant for studies on the climatology of equatorial waves in observations and global climate model simulations and for those examining individual cases of TC genesis modulated by equatorial wave activity.

scholarly journals Stochastic Convection Parameterization with Markov Chains in an Intermediate-Complexity GCM

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1367-1382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Dorrestijn ◽  
Daan T. Crommelin ◽  
A. Pier Siebesma ◽  
Harmen J. J. Jonker ◽  
Frank Selten
Keyword(s):  
Mass Flux ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Cloud Base ◽  
Equatorial Waves ◽  
Intermediate Complexity ◽  
Convectively Coupled Equatorial Waves ◽  
Stochastic Fluctuations ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Convection Parameterization ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract Conditional Markov chain (CMC) models have proven to be promising building blocks for stochastic convection parameterizations. In this paper, it is demonstrated how two different CMC models can be used as mass flux closures in convection parameterizations. More specifically, the CMC models provide a stochastic estimate of the convective area fraction that is directly proportional to the cloud-base mass flux. Since, in one of the models, the number of CMCs decreases with increasing resolution, this approach makes convection parameterizations scale aware and introduces stochastic fluctuations that increase with resolution in a realistic way. Both CMC models are implemented in a GCM of intermediate complexity. It is shown that with the CMC models, trained with observational data, it is possible to improve both the subgrid-scale variability and the autocorrelation function of the cloud-base mass flux as well as the distribution of the daily accumulated precipitation in the tropics. Hovmöller diagrams and wavenumber–frequency diagrams of the equatorial precipitation indicate that, in this specific GCM, convectively coupled equatorial waves are more sensitive to the mean cloud-base mass flux than to stochastic fluctuations. A smaller mean mass flux tends to increase the power of the simulated MJO and to diminish equatorial Kelvin waves.

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