Energy System (CERES) data for surface turbulent fluxes and atmospheric radiative heating

5 The authors analyze of the moist static energy budget over the region of the tropical Indian 6 ocean covered by the sounding array during the CINDY/DYNAMO field experiment in late 7 2011. The analysis is performed using the sounding array complemented by the Objectively 8 Analyzed air-sea Fluxes for the Global Oceans (OAflux) and Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant 9 Energy System (CERES) data for surface turbulent fluxes and atmospheric radiative heating 10 respectively. The analysis is repeated using the ERA Interim Reanalysis for all terms. The 11 roles of surface turbulent fluxes, radiative heating, and advection are quantified for the two 12 Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) events that occurred in October and November using the 13 sounding data; a third event in December is also studied in the ERA Interim data. 14 These results are consistent with the view that the MJO’s moist static energy anomalies 15 grow and are sustained to a significant extent by the radiative feedbacks associated with 16 water vapor and cloud anomalies associated with MJO convection, and that propagation of 17 the MJO is associated with advection of moist static energy. Both horizontal and vertical 18 advection appear to play significant roles in the events studied here. Horizontal advection 19 strongly moistens the atmosphere during the buildup to the active phase of the October event 20 when the low-level winds switch from westerly to easterly. Horizontal advection strongly dries 21 the atmosphere in the wake of the active phases of the November and December events as 22 the westerlies associated with off-equatorial cyclonic gyres bring subtropical dry air into the 23 convective region from the west. 24