In a remote region of the Indian Ocean lies the source of a mysterious weather pattern with tentacles that stretch across the tropics, influencing everything from monsoons in India to heat waves and flooding in the United States.
In a remote region of the Indian Ocean lies the source of a mysterious weather pattern with tentacles that stretch across the tropics, influencing everything from monsoons in India to heat waves and flooding in the United States.
Not as well known as El Nino, this phenomenon is called the Madden-Julian Oscillation, named for Rolland Madden and Paul Julian, two scientists who discovered it in the 1970s. It starts when water vapor rises out of the Indian Ocean every 30 to 60 days to create a major ocean storm that travels west to east from near the Seychelles off Africa toward India, crosses into the tropical Pacific Ocean and eventually affects weather patterns across the nation.
In the next week, a team of 20 NOAA scientists will journey to Goa, India, to meet with 200 of India’s leading ocean, atmosphere, and fisheries scientists to mark a decade of productive collaboration on ocean and atmospheric observations, with life-saving economic benefits for both nations. The most significant result is the vitally important Indian Ocean observing system of buoys, the world’s key tool for early detection of monsoons which affect the safety, food supply, and economies of one-third of the world's population.
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Image via NOAA.
