Premium
Disruptions of El Niño–Southern Oscillation Teleconnections by the Madden–Julian Oscillation
Author(s) -
Hoell Andrew,
Barlow Mathew,
Wheeler Matthew C.,
Funk Chris
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2013gl058648
Subject(s) - madden–julian oscillation , teleconnection , predictability , climatology , el niño southern oscillation , precipitation , environmental science , oscillation (cell signaling) , multivariate enso index , atmospheric sciences , geology , la niña , meteorology , convection , geography , physics , biology , genetics , quantum mechanics
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the leading mode of interannual variability, with global impacts on weather and climate that have seasonal predictability. Research on the link between interannual ENSO variability and the leading mode of intraseasonal variability, the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), has focused mainly on the role of MJO initiating or terminating ENSO. We use observational analysis and modeling to show that the MJO has an important simultaneous link to ENSO: strong MJO activity significantly weakens the atmospheric branch of ENSO. For weak MJO conditions relative to strong MJO conditions, the average magnitude of ENSO‐associated tropical precipitation anomalies increases by 63%, and the strength of hemispheric teleconnections increases by 58%. Since the MJO has predictability beyond three weeks, the relationships shown here suggest that there may be subseasonal predictability of the ENSO teleconnections to continental circulation and precipitation.