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Climate dynamics

Simplifying climate complexity

Nature Geoscience volume 16, pages 280–281 (2023)Cite this article

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The El Niño Southern Oscillation strongly impacts climate, but its variability remains difficult to predict. A conceptual model based on shifting circulation patterns offers a simple explanation for this complex behaviour.

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Fig. 1: Different types of ENSO events can be captured by zonal shifts of the Walker circulation and changes in upper-ocean conditions.

The figure is adapted from ref. 5

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado, CIRES, and NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA

    Antonietta Capotondi

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  1. Antonietta Capotondi
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Correspondence to Antonietta Capotondi.

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Capotondi, A. Simplifying climate complexity. Nat. Geosci. 16, 280–281 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01161-y

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