A tropical channel model was constructed to study the
long-standing problem of the initiation of the
Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). Two MJO cases were
studied through numerous sensitivity tests. These
tests demonstrated that the simulated MJO initiation
was critically dependent on the time dependent
lateral boundary conditions from the reanalysis. The
mechanisms of extratropical influences were further
explored, which showed the importance of momentum
transport at the lower troposphere and wave
activities at the upper troposphere. The dynamics of
the MJO and its dependence on the mean state...