Over the course of his career, Madden authored over 100 research publications, technical reports, and proceedings.[2] He is perhaps best known for his discovery in 1971 with Paul Julian[pub 1] of theMadden–Julian oscillation (MJO) and the comprehensive description of the phenomenon in 1972.[8][pub 2] The MJO is an eastward moving atmospheric disturbance that traverses the planet in the tropics with a period of 30–60 days, on average. The MJO is the main intra-seasonal fluctuation explaining weather in the tropics, and it continues to be studied broadly.[12][13]
Selected areas of important contributions (and related publications) in addition to the MJO[2] include:
The first estimates of the composition of cloud clusters in the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) area;[pub 3]
The introduction of an analysis of variance approach to estimate the potential long-range predictability of pressure, temperature, and precipitation;[pub 4][pub 5][pub 6]
The first estimates of the time of emergence of warming due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide;[pub 7]
The first estimates relating MJO tropical wind stress and the rotation of the earth;[pub 8][pub 9]
The first quantitative measures of the effects of imperfect spatial and temporal sampling on estimates of the global mean temperature;[pub 10] and
The first comprehensive quantitative estimates of the effect of aliasing.[pub 11]
Madden continues to work and publish as an NCAR Senior Scientist Emeritus.[14] His most recent publication[pub 12] presents new evidence of the Rossby-Haurwitz waves and appeared in 2019.
^Madden, R. A., and P. R. Julian, 1971: Detection of a 40–50 day oscillation in the zonal wind in the tropical Pacific. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 702–708.
^Madden, R. A., and P. R. Julian, 1972: Description of global-scale circulation cells in the tropics with a 40–50 day period. J. Atmos. Sci., 29, 1109–1123.
^Madden, R. A., L. Sapp, and E. Zipser, 1974: Clouds over the tropical Atlantic during July and August 1970. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 55, 587–595.
^Madden, R. A., 1976: Estimates of the natural variability of time-averaged sea-level pressure. Mon. Wea. Rev., 104, 942–952.
^Madden, R. A., and D. J. Shea, 1978: Estimates of the natural variability of time-averaged temperatures over the United States. Mon. Wea. Rev., 106, 1695–1703.
^Madden, R. A., D. J. Shea, R. W. Katz, and J. W. Kidson, 1999: The potential for long-range predictability of precipitation over New Zealand, Int. J. Climate, 19, 405–421.
^Madden, R. A., and V. Ramanathan, 1980: Detecting climate change due to increasing carbon dioxide. Science, 109, 763–768.
^Madden, R. A., 1987: Relationships between changes in the length-of-day and the 40–50 day oscillation in the tropics. J. Geophys. Res., 92, 8391–8399.
^Madden, R. A., 1988: Large intraseasonal variations in wind stress in the tropics. J. Geophys. Res., 93, 5330–5340.
^Madden, R. A., D. J. Shea, G. W. Branstator, J. J. Tribbia, and R. Weber, 1993: The effects of imperfect spatial and temporal sampling on estimates of the global mean temperature: experiments with model and satellite data. J. Climate, 6, 1057–1066.
^Madden, R. A., and R. H. Jones, 2001: A quantitative estimate of the effect of aliasing in climatological time series. J. Climate, 14, 3987–3993.
^Madden, R. A., 2019: How I learned to love normal-mode Rossby-Haurwitz waves. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 100, 503-511.
^Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, 1950–1993, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. accessed 5 October 2019
^"See "Madden, Roland Aloysius", p. 43, Fenwick High School Yearbook, Senior Class of 1956. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Fenwick High School; Year: 1956Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Accessed 5 October 2019.
