Fifty Years of Research on the Madden‐Julian Oscillation: Recent Progress, Challenges, and Perspectives. Issue 17 (28th August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jiang, Xianan; Adames, Ángel F.; Kim, Daehyun; Maloney, Eric D.; Lin, Hai; Kim, Hyemi; Zhang, Chidong; DeMott, Charlotte A.; Klingaman, Nicholas P.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 125:Issue 17(2020)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2020-08-28
• Subjects: Madden‐Julian Oscillation -- tropical convection -- climate modeling -- seasonal‐to‐subseasonal prediction; Atmospheric physics -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1029/2019JD030911
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-897X

Abstract

Abstract: Since its discovery in the early 1970s, the crucial role of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) in the global hydrological cycle and its tremendous influence on high‐impact climate and weather extremes have been well recognized. The MJO also serves as a primary source of predictability for global Earth system variability on subseasonal time scales. The MJO remains poorly represented in our state‐of‐the‐art climate and weather forecasting models, however. Moreover, despite the advances made in recent decades, theories for the MJO still disagree at a fundamental level. The problems of understanding and modeling the MJO have attracted significant interest from the research community. As a part of the AGU's Centennial collection, this article provides a review of recent progress, particularly over the last decade, in observational, modeling, and theoretical study of the MJO. A brief outlook for near‐future MJO research directions is also provided. Plain Language Summary: The Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO), first discovered by Madden and Julian in 1971, is a prominent tropical phenomenon with a typical period of 30–60 days and featured by a large‐scale envelope of cloud clusters and rain systems moving eastward along the equator. The MJO significantly influences not only intense tropical rainstorms, such as hurricanes, but also extreme weather over the middle to high latitudes. Skillful prediction of the MJO several weeks ahead, therefore, will be greatly valuable for disaster mitigation purposes. However, many present‐day climate models have great difficulty in realistically simulating the MJO for reasons that are not well understood. This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent progress in the observational, modeling, and theoretical study of the MJO, with a particular focus on the most recent decade. Several future research directions are also suggested to further advance our understanding and prediction capability of the MJO. Key Points: This article provides a comprehensive review of recent progress in observational, modeling, and theoretical studies of the MJO