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New Views into the Pineapple Express (2 of 2)

Caption: Researchers have successfully simulated a Madden-Julian Oscillation Event. Also called the Pineapple Express, the event is a complex interplay of atmospheric disturbances that begin in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, last 30 to 60 days and affect the upper atmosphere and the deep sea. The Madden-Julian Oscillation. Precipitation first develops in the Indian Ocean and moves eastward with a speed of about 5 ms–1. Surface winds converge under the convection, and a burst of eastward surface winds follows the passage of the heaviest rainfall. This burst is an important driver for ocean dynamics. Each panel is separated by ~15 days. This image relates to article that appeared in the Dec. 14, 2007 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. by H. Miura at Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in Kanagawa, Japan, was titled " A Madden-Julian Oscillation Event Realistically Simulated by a Global Cloud-Resolving Model."

Credit: Image courtesy of Science/AAAS

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