Enhanced MJO-like Variability at High SST

The authors report a significant increase in Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO)–like variability in a superparameterized version of the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model run with high sea surface temperatures (SSTs). A series of aquaplanet simulations exhibit a tripling of intraseasonal outgoing longwave radiation variance as equatorial SST is increased from 26° to 35°C. The simulated intraseasonal variability also transitions from an episodic phenomenon to one with a semiregular period of 25 days. Moist static energy (MSE) budgets of composite MJO events are used to diagnose the physical processes responsible for the relationship with SST. This analysis points to an increasingly positive contribution from vertical advection, associated in part with a steepening of the mean vertical MSE profile in the lower troposphere. The change in MSE profile is a natural consequence of increasing SST while maintaining a moist adiabat with a fixed profile of relative humidity. This work has implications for tropical variability in past warm climates as well as anthropogenic global warming scenarios.