Radar-observed convective properties and heating profiles during two and a half MJOs

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't necessarily apply to the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), with implications for statistical composites and the predictability of the MJO. A few ‘flavors' of MJO were sampled during the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO)/Cooperative Indian Ocean Experiment on Intraseasonal Variability in the Year 2011 (CINDY2011). In particular, the Texas A&M Shared Mobile Atmospheric Research and Teaching Radar (SMART-R), a truck-mounted C-band, Doppler radar system deployed on Addu Atoll in the Maldives from 1 October 2011 through 9 February 2012, observed two full MJOs, something that appeared MJO-like but wasn't, and the build-up to a third MJO. Each event displayed variations in convective characteristics during onset, maturation, and demise. This presentation will describe these variations, their relationship to the large-scale moisture and wind fields, and how they may impact MJO predictability.