How can the Madden Julian Oscillation impact an El Niño or La Niña event?

There is evidence that the MJO influences the ENSO cycle. It does not cause El Niño or La Niña, but can contribute to the speed of development and intensity of El Niño and La Niña episodes. 2. Typically, the northern Hemisphere late fall, winter, and early spring have the greatest level of MJO activity.

What causes the Madden Julian Oscillation?

So, unlike ENSO, which is stationary, the MJO is an eastward moving disturbance of clouds, rainfall, winds, and pressure that traverses the planet in the tropics and returns to its initial starting point in 30 to 60 days, on average. Paul Julian when they were studying tropical wind and pressure patterns.

What is Madden Julian index?

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the major fluctuation in tropical weather on weekly to monthly timescales. The MJO can be characterised as an eastward moving ‘pulse’ of cloud and rainfall near the equator that typically recurs every 30 to 60 days.

What are MJO waves?

The MJO is a system of very tall or deep convective clouds (storminess) that travels eastward along the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans approximately every 30-60 days. The convective region of the MJO has enhanced storms and rainfall, and it is usually sandwiched to the east and west by dry, sunny areas.

Why does Indian Ocean have dipole?

The Indian Ocean Dipole, or IOD, is a natural climate phenomenon that influences rainfall patterns around the Indian Ocean, including Australia. It’s brought about by the interactions between the currents along the sea surface and atmospheric circulation.

How does El Nino affect ecosystems?

In general, El Nino causes global temperatures to rise. Thusly, on a global scale, El Nino has been shown to lead to fires or flooding due to these unusually extreme conditions. Past El Nino cycles have also lead to extensive property damage due to wind, rain, frost, fire, lightning, and flooding.

How does La Niña affect Indian monsoon?

La Nina may further increase the amount of moisture available over the Indian subcontinent. This could lead to excess snowfall and rainfall, resulting in a winter cooler and wetter than normal.

How does La Niña affect us?

The biggest impact of La Niña on North American rain, snow and temperatures tends to be felt during the winter, according to NOAA. Generally speaking, La Niña winters tend to be drier and warmer than normal across the southern U.S. and cooler and wetter in the northern U.S. and Canada.

How does monsoon in India affected by IOD?

During the positive phase of IOD, sea surface temperatures are warmer in the western Indian Ocean (which gives a boost to monsoon winds) as compared to the eastern Indian Ocean—hence a dipole nature.