Connections between MJO and tropical cyclones in the Atlantic

Clouds gather over the ocean surface. Credit: Pixabay

A new scientific study explores how the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) impacts Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) activity on a subseasonal timescale. The Climate Program Office’s Climate Variability & Predictability (CVP) Program partnered with NOAA’s National Weather Service – Office of Science and Technology (OSTI) Modeling Division to support this project through an initiative to improve seasonal to subseasonal biases in the way models represent precipitation processes. CVP-supported scientist Ben Kirtman of the University of Miami worked with a team of researchers from the Naval Research Council and the Naval Research Lab to identify key links between the MJO and storms in the Atlantic Ocean.

The MJO is a large region of storms and winds that moves slowly eastward from the Indian Ocean eastward into the Pacific over the course of a 40–90 cycle. It influences TC activity by altering various atmospheric conditions, including wind shear, which refers to the difference in wind speed and direction at different altitudes.