East African Monsoon as a Drawbridge for the Circumnavigation of Madden–Julian Oscillation Events

Abstract The seasonality of circumnavigation of Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) events is examined using 42 years of observations, reanalysis, and global model simulations. MJO events are most likely to propagate across the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and back to the equatorial Indian Ocean relatively unweakened during March–April–May and to a lesser extent during September–October–November. During these seasons, referred to as the “long‐rain” and “short‐rain” periods of East African Monsoon (EAM), precipitation is near the equator and extends farthest east toward the Indian Ocean. Moisture budget analysis of a circumnavigating MJO event under real and hypothetical seasonally varying background conditions indicates that the seasonal zonal movement of the zonal component of the background circulation regulates the moistening of MJO crossing from Eastern Africa to the Indian Ocean. Ensembles of Energy Exascale Earth System Model simulations of the MJO event under idealized seasonally varying background state confirm the observed drawbridge‐like role of the EAM in the propagation of MJO.