Northwestward Propagation of the Intraseasonal Oscillation in the Western North Pacific during the Boreal Summer: Structure and Mechanism

Abstract

The convection of the intraseasonal timescale in the western North Pacific during the boreal summer tends to propagate northwestward in the Philippine Sea to near 20°N and then continues propagating westward. The formation of enhanced convection in the western North Pacific is a result of the merging of a convective system moving eastward along the equator and a westward-propagating low-level convergence anomaly, which is located to the east of a vortex in the subtropics. A positive feedback between the anomalous circulation and convection leads to a rapid enhancement of the system. The strengthened southwesterly associated with the vortex enhances evaporation over the oceans (e.g., the eastern Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the South China Sea) and transports moisture northeastward. The moisture converges at the northwestern corner of the convection and results in a potentially unstable atmosphere. The result is the northwestward propagation of the coupled circulation–convection system in the western North Pacific. It was found that the ocean–atmosphere interaction plays an important role in supplying energy to sustain the circulation and convection during the course of propagation. The circulation–convection interaction is the key factor in maintaining the system's strength until it reaches the Asian landmass, when the supply of moisture is reduced. The atmosphere seems to play a dominant role during the ocean–atmosphere interaction processes, while the ocean plays a more passive role in response to the atmospheric forcing.