Investigating Recent Changes in MJO Precipitation and Circulation in Multiple Reanalyses

Abstract

Recent work using CMIP5 models under RCP8.5 suggests that individual multimodel mean changes in precipitation and wind variability associated with the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) are not detectable until the end of the 21st century. However, a decrease in the ratio of MJO circulation to precipitation anomaly amplitude is detectable as early as 2021–2040, consistent with an increase in dry static stability as predicted by weak temperature gradient balance. Here, we examine MJO activity in multiple reanalyses (ERA5, MERRA-2, and ERA-20C) and find that MJO wind and precipitation anomaly amplitudes have a complicated time evolution over the record. However, a decrease in the ratio of MJO circulation to precipitation anomaly amplitude is detected over the observational period, consistent with the change in dry static stability. These results suggest that weak temperature gradient theory may be able to help explain changes in MJO activity in recent decades.