Jiang et al. (2026) A crucial role of land-atmosphere interactions in shaping subseasonal convective variability over the Maritime Continent in idealized model simulations

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Climate
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-10
• Authors: Xianan Jiang, Hsi‐Yen Ma
• DOI: 10.1175/jcli-d-25-0654.1

Research Groups

• Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Short Summary

This study investigates the role of land-atmosphere interactions in shaping subseasonal convective variability over the Maritime Continent using idealized model simulations. The findings suggest that the coupling between land and atmosphere plays a critical role in reducing Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) convection over the region.

Objective

• Investigate the key processes underlying the damping effect of Maritime Continent islands on the eastward-propagating MJO

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with a focus on the Maritime Continent region
• Temporal Scale: Subseasonal (days to weeks)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Idealized atmospheric-only global model simulations
• Data sources: None mentioned in the abstract

Main Results

• The coupling between land and atmosphere, driven by interactions among clouds, radiation, land surface temperature, and convective instability, plays a critical role in reducing MJO convection over the Maritime Continent.
• Incorporating the diurnal cycle of convection in the model significantly enhances this damping effect.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the intricate interactions between the MJO and the Maritime Continent, which is essential for improving subseasonal-to-seasonal predictions of extreme weather events worldwide.

Funding

• No funding information is provided in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Jiang2026crucial,
  author = {Jiang, Xianan and Ma, Hsi‐Yen},
  title = {A crucial role of land-atmosphere interactions in shaping subseasonal convective variability over the Maritime Continent in idealized model simulations},
  journal = {Journal of Climate},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1175/jcli-d-25-0654.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-25-0654.1}
}