Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

The Manifestation of the Madden–Julian Oscillation in Global Deep Convection and in the Schumann Resonance Intensity

E. Anyamba Universities Space Research Association, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Search for other papers by E. Anyamba in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
E. Williams Parsons Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Search for other papers by E. Williams in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
J. Susskind NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Search for other papers by J. Susskind in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
A. Fraser-Smith STAR Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Search for other papers by A. Fraser-Smith in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
M. Fullekrug Universitaet Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

Search for other papers by M. Fullekrug in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Apr 2000
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(2000)057<1029:TMOTMJ>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
1029–1044
Restricted access

Abstract

This study determines the relationship between intraseasonal oscillations observed in two independent measures of global lightning activity: a global mean convective index (a proxy for deep convection) derived from the Goddard Television Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder infrared cloud observations, and Schumann resonance magnetic intensity recorded at Arrival Heights, Antarctica. The study was initiated when previous results indicated a possible link between intraseasonal variations in Schumann resonances and variability of sunspot numbers on the timescale of the solar rotation period. The authors used seven years (1989–95) of daily records, though the Schumann resonance record had a number of gaps. Results of cross-spectrum and composite analysis show that intraseasonal oscillations in deep convection modulate the global variations in the Schumann resonance intensity. In the Tropics, the intraseasonal wave in deep convection has a wavenumber-1 structure with the region from 120°W to 60°E having one phase, while the other hemisphere has the opposite phase. The Schumann resonances are enhanced when a maximum in deep convection lies in the former hemisphere that comprises the main lightning-producing regions of South America and Africa. Conversely, Schumann resonances are suppressed when the convection propagates eastward to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. This relationship between the deep convection and Schumann resonances was best defined during the Northern Hemisphere springs of 1990 and 1992 but was less evident in 1993 and 1994.

* Current affiliation: General Sciences Corporation, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Corresponding author address: Dr. E. Anyamba, Code 910.4, General Sciences Corporation, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771.

Abstract

This study determines the relationship between intraseasonal oscillations observed in two independent measures of global lightning activity: a global mean convective index (a proxy for deep convection) derived from the Goddard Television Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder infrared cloud observations, and Schumann resonance magnetic intensity recorded at Arrival Heights, Antarctica. The study was initiated when previous results indicated a possible link between intraseasonal variations in Schumann resonances and variability of sunspot numbers on the timescale of the solar rotation period. The authors used seven years (1989–95) of daily records, though the Schumann resonance record had a number of gaps. Results of cross-spectrum and composite analysis show that intraseasonal oscillations in deep convection modulate the global variations in the Schumann resonance intensity. In the Tropics, the intraseasonal wave in deep convection has a wavenumber-1 structure with the region from 120°W to 60°E having one phase, while the other hemisphere has the opposite phase. The Schumann resonances are enhanced when a maximum in deep convection lies in the former hemisphere that comprises the main lightning-producing regions of South America and Africa. Conversely, Schumann resonances are suppressed when the convection propagates eastward to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. This relationship between the deep convection and Schumann resonances was best defined during the Northern Hemisphere springs of 1990 and 1992 but was less evident in 1993 and 1994.

* Current affiliation: General Sciences Corporation, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland.

Corresponding author address: Dr. E. Anyamba, Code 910.4, General Sciences Corporation, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771.

Save
Cover Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

  • Anyamba, E. K., and B. C. Weare, 1995: Temporal variability of the 40–50 day oscillation in tropical convection. Int. J. Climatol.,15, 379–402.

  • Chahine, M. T., and J. Susskind, 1989: Fundamentals of the GLA physical retrieval method. Report on the Joint ECMWF-EUMETSAT Workshop on the use of Satellite Data in Operational Weather Prediction: 1989–1993, A. Hollingsworth, Ed., Vol. 1, ECMWF, 271–300.

  • Chen, T.-C., J.-M. Chen, J. Pfaendtner, and J. Susskind, 1995: The 12–24-day mode of global precipitation. Mon. Wea. Rev.,123, 140–152.

  • Christian, H. J., K. T. Driscoll, S. J. Goodman, R. J. Blakeslee, D. A. Mach, and D. E. Buechler, 1996: The Optical Transient Detector. Proc. Tenth Int. Conf. on Atmospheric Electricity, Osaka, Japan, Meteorological Society of Japan, 368–371.

  • Emanuel, K. A., 1987: An air–sea interaction theory of the intraseasonal oscillation in the Tropics. J. Atmos. Sci.,44, 2324–2340.

  • Fullekrug, M., and A. C. Fraser-Smith, 1996: Further evidence for a global correlation of the Earth–ionosphere cavity resonances. Geophys. Res. Lett.,23, 2773–2776.

  • ——, and ——, 1997: Global lightning and climate variability inferred from ELF field variations. Geophys. Res. Lett.,24, 2411–2414.

  • Goodman, S. J., and H. J. Christian, 1993: Global observations of lightning. Atlas of Satellite Observations Related to Global Change, R. J. Gurney, J. L. Foster, and C. L. Parkinson, Eds., Cambridge University Press, 191–219.

  • Hayashi, Y., and D. G. Golder, 1993: Tropical 40–50- and 25–30-day oscillations appearing in realistic and idealized GFDL climate models and the ECMWF dataset. J. Atmos. Sci.,50, 464–494.

  • Heckman, S. J., E. Williams, and R. Boldi, 1998: Total global lightning inferred from Schumann resonance measurements. J. Geophys. Res.,103, 31 775–31 779.

  • Kent, G. S., E. Williams, P.-H. Wang, M. P. McCormick, and K. M. Skeens, 1995: Surface temperature related variations in tropical cirrus cloud as measured by SAGE II. J. Climate,8, 2577–2594.

  • Koopmans, L. H., 1974: The Spectral Analysis of Time Series. Academic Press, 366 pp.

  • Lau, K.-M., and P. H. Chan, 1985: Aspects of the 40–50 day oscillation during the northern winter as inferred from outgoing longwave radiation. Mon. Wea. Rev.,113, 1889–1909.

  • ——, and L. Peng, 1987: Origin of low-frequency (intraseasonal) oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. Part I: Basic theory. J. Atmos. Sci.,44, 950–972.

  • Lin, S., 1998: Relationships between lightning and precipitation. M. Eng. thesis, EECS Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 81 pp. [Available from Barker Engineering Library, MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.].

  • Madden, R. A., and P. R. Julian, 1972: Description of global-scale circulation cells in the Tropics with a 40–50 day period. J. Atmos. Sci.,29, 1109–1123.

  • ——, and ——, 1994: Observations of the 40–50 day tropical oscillation—A review. Mon. Wea. Rev.,122, 814–837.

  • Markson, R., and D. Lane-Smith, 1994: Global change monitoring through the temporal variation of ionospheric potential. Preprints, Fifth Symp. on the Global Electrical Circuit, Global Change, and the Meteorological Applications of Lightning, Nashville, TN, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 279–287.

  • Mitchell, J. M., Jr., 1966: Climate change. Tech. Note 79, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 79 pp.

  • Neelin, J. D., I. M. Held, and K. H. Cook, 1987: Evaporation-wind feedback and low-frequency variability in the tropical atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci.,44, 2341–2348.

  • Orville, R. E., and R. W. Henderson, 1986: Global distribution of midnight lightning: September 1977 to August 1978. Mon. Wea. Rev.,114, 2640–2653.

  • Petersen, W. A., S. A. Rutledge, and R. A. Orville, 1996: Cloud-to-ground lightning observations from TOGA COARE: Selected results and lightning location algorithms. Mon. Wea. Rev.,124, 602–620.

  • Polk, C., 1982: Schumann resonances. CRC Handbook of Atmospheres, H. Volland, Ed., Vol. 1, CRC Press, 112–178.

  • Press, W. H., B. P. Flannery, S. A. Teukolsky, and W. T. Vetterling, 1986: Numerical Recipes, the Art of Scientific Computing. Cambridge University Press, 818 pp.

  • Price, C., 1993: Global surface temperature and the atmospheric electrical circuit. Geophys. Res. Lett.,20, 1363–1366.

  • ——, and D. Rind, 1992: A simple lightning parameterization for calculating global lightning distributions. J. Geophys. Res.,97, 9919–9993.

  • Rasmusson, E. M., and T. H. Carpenter, 1982: Variations in tropical sea surface temperature and wind fields associated with the Southern Oscillation/El Nino. Mon. Wea. Rev.,110, 354–384.

  • Raymond, D. J., 1994: Cumulus convection and the Madden–Julian oscillation of the tropical atmosphere. Physica D,77, 1–22.

  • Reed, R. J., D. C. Norquist, and E. E. Recker, 1977: The structure and properties of African wave disturbances as observed during Phase III of GATE. Mon. Wea. Rev.,105, 317–333.

  • Reuter, D., J. Susskind, and A. Pursch, 1988: First-guess dependence of a physically based set of temperature-humidity retrievals from HIRS2/MSU data. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol.,5, 70–83.

  • Ropelewski, C. F., and M. S. Halpert, 1989: Precipitation patterns associated with the high index phase of the Southern Oscillation. J. Climate,2, 268–284.

  • Rossow, W. B., and R. A. Schiffer, 1991: ISCCP cloud data products. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,72, 2–20.

  • Rutledge, S. A., E. R. Williams, and T. D. Keenan, 1992: The Down Under Doppler and Electricity Experiment (DUNDEE): Overview and preliminary results. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,73, 3–16.

  • Salby, M. L., and H. H. Hendon, 1994: Intraseasonal behavior of clouds, temperature, and motion in the Tropics. J. Atmos. Sci.,51, 2207–2224.

  • Satori, G., and B. Zieger, 1996: Spectral characteristics of Schumann resonances observed in central Europe. J. Geophys. Res.,101, 29 663–29 669.

  • ——, E. Williams, B. Zieger, R. Boldi, S. Heckman, and K. Rothkin, 1999: Comparisons of long-term Schumann resonance records in Europe and in North America. Preprints, 11th Int. Conf. on Atmospheric Electricity, Gunthersville, AL, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, 705–708.

  • Sentman, D. D., 1995: Schumann Resonances. Handbook of Atmospheric Electrodynamics, H. Volland, Ed., Vol. 1, CRC Press, 267–295.

  • ——, and B. J. Fraser, 1991: Simultaneous observations of Schumann resonances in California and Australia: Evidence for intensity modulation by the local height of the D-region. J. Geophys. Res.,96, 15 973–15 984.

  • Slingo, J. M., and Coauthors, 1996: Intraseasonal oscillations in 15 atmospheric general circulation models: Results from an AMIP diagnostic subproject. Climate Dyn.,12, 325–357.

  • Sui, C.-H., and K.-M. Lau, 1989: Origin of low-frequency (intraseasonal) oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. Part II: Structure and propagation of mobile wave-CISK modes and their modification by lower boundary forcings. J. Atmos. Sci.,46, 37–56.

  • Susskind, J., J. Rosenfield, and D. Reuter, 1984: Remote sensing of weather and climate parameters from HIRS2/MSU on TIROS-N. J. Geophys. Res.,89, 4677–4697.

  • ——, D. Reuter, and M. T. Chahine, 1987: Cloud fields retrieved from HIRS2/MSU data. J. Geophys. Res.,92, 4035–4050.

  • ——, P. Piraino, L. Rokke, L. Iredell, and A. Mehta, 1997: Characteristics of the TOVS Pathfinder Path A dataset. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,78, 1449–1472.

  • Vonnegut, B., 1963: Some facts and speculations concerning the origin and role of thunderstorm electricity. Severe Local Storms, Meteor. Monogr., No. 27, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 224–241.

  • Wait, J. R., 1972: Electromagnetic Waves in Stratified Media. 2d ed. Pergamon Press, 608 pp.

  • Wallace, J. M., 1971: Spectral studies of tropospheric wave disturbances in the tropical western Pacific. Rev. Geophys. Space Phys.,9, 557–612.

  • Wang, B., and H. Rui, 1990: Synoptic climatology of transient tropical intraseasonal anomalies. Meteor. Atmos. Phys.,44, 43–61.

  • Whipple, F. J. W., 1929: On the association of the diurnal variation of electric potential in fine weather with the distribution of thunderstorms over the globe. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc.,55, 1–17.

  • Williams, E., 1985: Large scale charge separation in thunderstorms. J. Geophys. Res.,90, 6013–6025.

  • ——, 1989: The tripole structure of thunderstorms. J. Geophys. Res.,94, 13 151–13 167.

  • ——, 1992: The Schumann resonance: A global tropical thermometer. Science,256, 1184–1187.

  • ——, 1994: Global circuit response to seasonal variations in global surface air temperature. Mon. Wea. Rev.,122, 1917–1929.

  • ——, and S. J. Heckman, 1993: The local diurnal variation of cloud electrification and the global diurnal variation of negative charge on the Earth. J. Geophys. Res.,98, 5221–5234.

  • ——, and N. Renno, 1993: An analysis of the conditional instability of the tropical atmosphere. Mon. Wea. Rev.,121, 21–36.

  • ——, S. A. Rutledge, S. G. Geotis, N. Renno, E. Rasmussen, and T. Rickenbach, 1992: A radar and electrical study of tropical “hot towers.” J. Atmos. Sci.,49, 1386–1395.

  • Yasunari, T., 1980: A quasi-stationary appearance of a 30–40 day period in the cloudiness fluctuations during the Summer monsoon over India. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan,58, 225–229.

  • Zipser, E. J., 1994: Deep cumulonimbus cloud systems in the Tropics with and without lightning. Mon. Wea. Rev.,122, 1837–1851.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 1358 699 126
PDF Downloads 341 86 4