Multiscale Asymptotics for the Skeleton of the Madden-Julian Oscillation and Tropical-Extratropical Interactions

TL;DR

This paper develops a new multiscale asymptotic model for tropical-extratropical interactions involving the Madden-Julian Oscillation, capturing complex wave interactions and resonance phenomena, including moist effects, with applications to MJO dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multiscale asymptotic framework that derives ODEs for three-wave resonant interactions, incorporating moist processes and a degenerate auxiliary problem.

Findings

Derived ODE system for wave interactions including moist effects

Identified resonance conditions involving Kelvin waves and water vapor

Applied model to MJO initiation and termination scenarios

Abstract

A new model is derived and analyzed for tropical-extratropical interactions involving the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO). The model combines (i) the tropical dynamics of the MJO and equatorial baroclinic waves and (ii) the dynamics of barotropic Rossby waves with significant extratropical structure, and the combined system has a conserved energy. The method of multiscale asymptotics is applied to systematically derive a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for three-wave resonant interactions. Two novel features are (i) a degenerate auxiliary problem with overdetermined equations due to a compatibility condition (meridional geostrophic balance) and (ii) cubic self-interaction terms that are not typically found in three-wave resonance ODEs. Several examples illustrate applications to MJO initiation and termination, including cases of (i) the MJO, equatorial baroclinic Rossby waves, and barotropic Rossby waves interacting, and (ii) the MJO, baroclinic Kelvin waves, and barotropic Rossby waves interacting. Resonance with the Kelvin wave is not possible here if only dry variables are considered, but it occurs in the moist model here through interactions with water vapor and convective activity.