A Review of the Nonlinear Dynamics of Intraseasonal Oscillations

In recent years, significant progress has been made regarding theories of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) (also known as the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) in the tropics). This short review introduces the latest advances in ISO theories with an emphasis particularly on theoretical paradigms involving nonlinear dynamics in the following aspects: (1) the basic ideas and limitations of the previous and current theories and hypotheses regarding the MJO, (2) the new multi-scale theory of the MJO based on the intraseasonal planetary equatorial synoptic dynamics (IPESD) framework, and (3) nonlinear dynamics of ISOs in the extratropics based on the resonant triads of Rossby-Haurwitz waves.