Convective momentum transport by rainbands within a Madden–Julian oscillation in a global nonhydrostatic model with explicit deep convective processes. Part I: Methodology and general results

CMT vectors, which represent horizontal accelerations to the mean winds due to momentum flux convergences of deviation winds, are derived for each rainband. The CMT vectors are composited according to their locations relative to the MJO center.

While a similar number of rainbands are detected in the eastern and western halves of the MJO convective envelope, CMT vectors with large zonal components are most plentiful between 0° and 20° to the west of the MJO center. The zonal components of the CMT vectors exhibit a coherent directionality and have a well-organized three-layer structure: positive near the surface, negative in the low to midtroposphere, and positive in the upper troposphere.