Subseasonal Organization of Ocean Chlorophyll: Prospects for Prediction Based on the Madden-Julian Oscillation

Previous studies have noted considerable influences by the Madden-Julian Oscillation on a number of weather and climate processes. These include a considerable influence over low-frequency weather variations over much of the Tropics, the onsets and breaks of the Asian-Australian monsoon systems, extra-tropical synoptic variability, tropical storm and hurricane development in the Pacific and Atlantic sectors, and possibly the timing and strength of El Nino / La Nina events. The material in this presentation will show that the MJO also produces a significant basin-wide influence on the tropical Indo-Pacific chlorophyll distribution. Diagnostic analysis will also be shown that indicates that vertical mixing associated with wind variations are in part responsible for these variations. These results, in conjunction with recent studies indicating the MJO may have useful predictability with lead times up to 2-3 weeks, indicate that operational predictions of the MJO may also be of use to the commercial fishing industry.