Modulation of Aerosol by Atmospheric Intraseasonal Variability

Aerosol concentrations and variability over the tropical eastern hemisphere are considerable, particularly over Africa, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean. This region is also known to be strongly influenced by tropical atmospheric intraseasonal variability, also referred to as the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). However, the connections between aerosol variability and the MJO have yet to be adequately characterized from observations. Satellite retrievals of aerosol now have sufficient record lengths and quality to describe the spatial-temporal modulation by the MJO. Using satellite rainfall and reanalysis descriptions of the MJO, as well as TOMS and MODIS aerosol retrievals, we will present the results of our analysis that describes the relationships between MJO activity and aerosol variability. Our analysis separates boreal summer and winter in order to account for the seasonal differences in MJO variability and the background circulation (e.g., Asian summer monsoon) and aerosol loading.