The Madden-Julian Oscillation in the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmospheric Model-2 with the Tiedtke Convective Scheme

The boreal winter Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) remains very weak and irregular in structure in the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model version 2 (CAM2) as in its direct predecessor, the Community Climate Model version 3 (CCM3). The standard version of CAM2 uses the deep convective scheme of Zhang and McFarlane (1995), as in CCM3, with the closure dependent on convective available potential energy (CAPE). Here, sensitivity tests using several versions of the Tiedtke (1989) convective scheme are conducted. Typically, the Tiedtke convection scheme gives an improved mean state, intraseasonal variability, space-time power spectra, and eastward propagation compared to the standard version of the model. Coherent eastward propagation of MJO related precipitation is also much improved, particularly over the Indian-western Pacific Oceans. Sensitivity experiments show that enhanced downdrafts in the Tiedtke scheme reduces the amplitude of the MJO but to a lesser extent than when this scheme is closed on CAPE to represent deep convections. A composite life cycle of the model MJO indicates that over the Indian Ocean wind induced surface heat exchange functions, while over the western/central Pacific Ocean aspects of frictional moisture convergence are evident in the maintenance and eastward propagation of the oscillation