The Boreal Summer Intraseasonal Oscillation (BSISO): A Review

The boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) is among the most pronounced subseasonal variability in the tropics during boreal summer. Compared with its wintertime counterpart, the so-called Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO), the BSISO convection displays more complicated spatiotemporal evolution, characterized by northward propagation over the northern Indian Ocean and western North Pacific as well as eastward propagation along the equator. It exerts a strong effect on a broad range of tropical weather and climate phenomena, such as tropical cyclogenesis, monsoon onset, and active/break cycles, among others. Our fundamental understanding of the BSISO has steadily advanced: so far various aspects of the BSISO have been described, and several theories that aim to elucidate its northward propagation have been proposed. Yet, our skill to simulate the BSISO by general circulation models remains unsatisfactory, though it has been improved. This paper reviews some fundamental aspects of the BSISO from the viewpoint of observation, theory, and modeling.

Automated summary

The boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) is a significant subseasonal variability in the tropics during boreal summer, exerting a strong effect on tropical weather and climate phenomena. Despite advances in understanding and theory, the ability to simulate BSISO using general circulation models remains unsatisfactory.