ENSO Diversity Simulated in a Revised Cane-Zebiak Model

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon features rich sea surface temperature (SST) spatial pattern variations dominated by the Central Pacific (CP) and Eastern (EP) patterns during its warm phase. Understanding such ENSO diversity has been a subject under extensive research activity. To provide framework for unveiling fundamental dynamics of diversity, an intermediate coupled model based on Cane-Zebiak-type framework, named RCZ, is established in this study. Compared with original Cane-Zebiak model, RCZ consists revised formulation well-tuned parameterization schemes. All components are carefully validated against observations via standalone mode, which observed anomalous SST (wind stress) forcing prescribed to drive atmospheric (oceanic) component. superiority RCZ’s over those evidenced their better performance simulating observations. Coupled simulation satisfactorily reproduces aspects characteristics, including pattern, phase-locking, amplitude asymmetry, and, particularly, diversity/bi-modality. serves as promising tool studying it resolves most relevant processes proposed literature, nonlinear convective heating, oceanic dynamical ENSO/westerly wind burst interaction.