Influences of the MJO on intraseasonal rainfall variability over southern Iran

Abstract

Using daily rainfall data from 183 stations, influences of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) on precipitation over southern Iran are examined. When composites of daily rainfall anomalies are constructed by introducing eight phases in the time evolution, wet conditions are observed in MJO phases 1-2 and 7-8. During these phases, atmospheric circulation anomalies favor moisture advection from the western Indian Ocean to southern Iran. In contrast, dry conditions during MJO phases 3 to 6 are associated with advection of drier air from the north.