Two different simulations of the Southern Oscillation and El Nino with coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation models

Two different coupled ocean-atmosphere models simulate irregular interannual fluctuations that in many respects resemble El Nino Southern Oscillation phenomena. This success indicates that the models capture certain aspects of the interaction between the ocean and atmosphere that cause the Southern Oscillation. The principal difference between the models, namely the prominence of oceanic Kelvin waves in one but not the other, causes the two models to differ significantly in the way El Nino episodes evolve, and in the mechanisms that cause a turnabout from El Nino to La Nina and vice versa. There is a discussion on pp 23-24 by J.B Williams, S.G.H. Philander and K. Hasselmann. -from Authors