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Impacts of two types of El Niño on the MJO during boreal winter

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Abstract

The features of the MJO during two types of El Niño events are investigated in this paper using the daily NCEP-2 reanalysis data, OLR data from NOAA, and Real-time Multivariate MJO index for the period 1979–2012. The results indicate that the MJO exhibits distinct features during eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño events, as compared to central Pacific (CP) El Niño events. First, the intensity of the MJO is weakened during EP El Niño winters from the tropical eastern Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, but enhanced during CP El Niño winters. Second, the range of the MJO eastward propagation is different during the two types of El Niño events. During EP El Niño winters, the MJO propagates eastwards to 120°W, but only to 180° during CP El Niño winters. Finally, the frequency in eight phases of the MJO may be affected by the two types of El Niño. Phases 2 and 3 display a stronger MJO frequency during EP El Niño winters, but phases 4 and 5 during CP El Niño winters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Monsoon and Environment Research/School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China

    Bo Pang & Zhiping Wen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Bo Pang & Riyu Lu

  3. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Zesheng Chen

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  1. Bo Pang
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  2. Zesheng Chen
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  3. Zhiping Wen
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  4. Riyu Lu
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Correspondence to Zhiping Wen.

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Pang, B., Chen, Z., Wen, Z. et al. Impacts of two types of El Niño on the MJO during boreal winter. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 33, 979–986 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-5272-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-016-5272-2

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