Nonlinear traveling wave solution for the MJO skeleton model

Abstract:

Recently, a minimal dynamical model is presented for capturing MJO's fundamental features. The model is a nonlinear oscillator model for the MJO skeleton and it involves interactions between convection, moisture and circulation. I will present the exact nonlinear traveling wave solutions for the model based on its energy conservation. The exact nonlinear solution provides for an explicit comparison of features between linear and nonlinear waves such as dispersion relations and traveling wave speeds. Moreover, the nonlinear solutions, compared with the linear ones, produce a narrow region of active convection and a wider region of suppressed convection. These predictions offer nonlinear MJO features that could potentially be targets of observational investigations.