Topographic effects on the eastward propagation and initiation of the Madden-Julian oscillation

This study investigates the relationship between deep convection (and heating anomaly) in the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) and the tropical topography. The eastward propagation of the deep heating anomalies is confined to two regions: the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific warm pool. Superimposed on the eastward propagation is a series of quasi-stationary deep heating anomalies that occur sequentially and discretely downstream in a leapfrog manner in the central Indian Ocean, the Maritime Continent, tropical South America, and tropical Africa. The deep heating anomaly, usually preceded by near-surface moisture convergence and shallow heating anomalies, tends to occur on the windward side of the tropical topography in these regions (except the central Indian Ocean) under the prevailing surface easterly anomaly of the MJO. It is suggested that the lifting and frictional effects of the tropical topography and landmass induce the near-surface moisture convergence anomaly, which in turn triggers the deep heating anomaly. Subsequently, the old heating anomaly located to the west of the tropical topography weakens and the new heating anomaly east of the topography develops because of the eastward shift in the major moisture convergence center to the east of the mountains. Therefore, the deep heating anomaly shifts eastward from one region to another. The equatorial Kelvin wave, which is forced by the tropical heating anomaly and propagates quickly across the ocean basins in the lower troposphere, plays an important role by helping to strengthen the easterly anomaly and lowering the surface pressure. This process is proposed to further our understanding of the shift in the deep convection from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, the reappearance of the deep convection in tropical South America, and the initiation of the MJO in the western Indian Ocean. It is suggested that the fast eastward propagation and the slow development of quasi-stationary convection together determine the quasi-periodicity of the MJO.