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El Niño and the delayed action oscillator

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Boutle, Ian, Taylor, Richard H. S. and Roemer, Rudolf A.. (2007) El Niño and the delayed action oscillator. American Journal of Physics, Vol.75 (No.1). pp. 15-24. ISSN 0002-9505

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2358155

Abstract

We study the dynamics of the El Niño phenomenon using the mathematical model of delayedaction oscillator (DAO). Topics such as the influence of the annual cycle, global warming, stochastic influences due to weather conditions and even off-equatorial heat-sinks can all be discussed using only modest analytical and numerical resources. Thus the DAO allows for a pedagogical introduction to the science of El Niño and La Niña while at the same time avoiding the need for large-scale computing resources normally associated with much more sophisticated coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models. It is an approach which is ideally suited for student projects both at high school and undergraduate level.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Centre for Scientific Computing Faculty of Science > Physics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	El Niño current, Ocean currents -- Pacific Ocean -- Models
Journal or Publication Title:	American Journal of Physics
Publisher:	American Association of Physics Teachers
ISSN:	0002-9505
Date:	January 2007
Volume:	Vol.75
Number:	No.1
Page Range:	pp. 15-24
Identification Number:	10.1119/1.2358155
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/332